


Fool Me Twice, Book 1: Ricochet

by crimsonglass



Series: Fool Me Twice [1]
Category: General Hospital (TV 1963)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-02-16
Updated: 2021-03-18
Packaged: 2021-03-18 22:00:54
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 11
Words: 66,993
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29496945
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/crimsonglass/pseuds/crimsonglass
Summary: In October of 2017, the city of Port Charles is stunned when a man with Jason Morgan’s old face shows up at the Aurora Media re-launch party claiming to be the infamous enforcer, not the man who has been living there for three years. Finding out which man is which is only the beginning of the story.Drew Cain has a new name and new face, but none of his old memories. He’s living Jason’s life with Jason’s wife, raising Jason’s children. Who is he? Where did he come from?Jason Morgan has been gone for five years and nothing is the way he thought it would be. His wife has moved on — with a man she thought was him. His dead son has been miraculously resurrected and another son has been identified as his own.Jason and Drew must learn to work together to find out who stole their lives and put their families in danger. They’re not the only patients with memory issues — if Jason is Patient Six — well, who were the first five?Someone has to pay for the lives destroyed by the twin swap and memory experimentation, but in Port Charles, it’s hard to tell friend from foe.
Relationships: Andrew "Drew" Cain/Samantha "Sam" McCall, Carly Benson/Sonny Corinthos, Jason Morgan/Elizabeth Webber, Trina Robinson/Cameron Webber
Series: Fool Me Twice [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2166666
Comments: 7
Kudos: 21





	1. Set-up & Timeline

Welcome to _Fool Me Twice_ , the General Hospital trilogy that rewrites the return of Jason Morgan and the revelation that he had a secret twin brother, Drew Cain, that had been implanted with Jason's memories and was now living his life. This trilogy takes place in 2017-18 and rewrites the entire storyline, as well taking on other aspects of the show as the twin experiment affects the entire canvas.

You should know up front that **I hate the character of Franco to the point of insanity** , I am an apologetic Sonny and Carly fan (though I write them more evenly and realistically than the show–no one licks their asses in my stories), and Elizabeth is my favorite character in the history of the entire world. **I worship her.** If any of these things will bother you, you should probably head right back to where you came from.

This series is written in three parts and will be released over the next 18 months: _Ricochet_ (Feb 23, 2021), _Ashes to Ashes_ (Feb 2022), and _Strike to Kill_ (May 2022).

Book 1, _Ricochet_ , begins on February 23. New chapters are posted on Tuesdays & Thursdays beginning Tuesday, Feb 23, 2021.

* * *

**Dedication**

_This book is dedicated to Jason Morgan fans because we deserve better._

* * *

**Inspiration**

I've been a haphazard GH viewer for the majority of the last decade — I think those of us who are dissatisfied can probably agree the quality of the writing has taken a real nose dive and hasn't improved in the better part of a decade. It's watchable now — but I don't want my soaps just to be something I can sit through without cringing. I want them to be something I look forward to, be on the edge of my seat for.

I had taken a break from GH after the Jake Doe lie was revealed in 2015 because I was really unhappy with how Elizabeth was written at the end of that story and the villain edit she was getting. I tuned back in when I learned Steve Burton was returning because I knew they were bringing him back as Jason. For most of September and October, with a few minor issues, the show was not just watchable, it was _good._ I was drawn into the twin story and the revelation of Drew Cain. I was eager to see Billy Miller digging into a new character — I had enjoyed him so much more as Jake Doe and didn't find him a great fit for Jason Morgan.

And then the story stopped being about Jason and Drew, and we were introduced to the horror show of Peter August. From about that point on, I knew I'd have to rewrite the story. _Fool Me Twice_ started as Flash Fiction series that I have now expanded into this trilogy.

* * *

**Timeline – Jason's Death & "Return" (2012-2015)**

In October of 2012, Jason (as played by Steve Burton) brought the infant Danny home to Sam at the penthouse. He then left the penthouse to meet business manager Bernie Abrams at the docks. He arrived to find Bernie shot and dying. Jason was then shot and pushed into the harbor by Cesar Faison, who was then posing as Duke Lavery, trying to get control of Sonny's territory. He had hired Joe Scully, Jr. to get control. This storyline was dropped that fall, and we never learned why Faison wanted Sonny's territory. Jason was believed to be dead at this point.

In February of 2014, after Robin had returned from the dead, Victor Cassadine arrived to convince her to bring Helena and Stavros back from the dead. To get her cooperation, he told her he had Jason and offered her the chance to bring him back to his family. Robin agreed and left Port Charles without telling anyone, except Patrick, why. Patrick kept it to himself. He began a relationship with Sam later that summer. In August, Robin and Jason escaped from the clinic and made it to Port Charles. Robin went to talk to her mother, but Helena's men kidnapped her before she reached Anna. Jason went to Sonny, but was hit by Ava (and Jordan later took blame for it because she was still undercover at this point). The viewers at this point were told this was Jason. We had zero evidence that he was not Jason.

Jason was badly hurt and taken to the ER where he briefly came into contact with Elizabeth. He woke up after reconstructive surgery with amnesia. He and Elizabeth connected immediately, and she offered him support and friendship as he recovered. He took the name Jake as it felt familiar to him. He also connected with Carly and Michael. This was the period when Michael discovered Sonny and Carly's coverup of AJ's murder.

In December, Helena ran into Jake Doe on the docks and told him he was Jason Morgan. She used a chip in his head to get him to break into the PCPD and free Faison. In the midst of this, he took Sam hostage and shot Nathan West. Nathan recovered, but Sam and Patrick soon realized Jake Doe was behind it. Elizabeth didn't believe them until Jake was caught setting a bomb on the Haunted Star In February. Elizabeth stuck by him and learned about the chip in his head. It was removed and he was free.

He and Elizabeth had also developed feelings for each other, but Ric Lansing returned from the dead around Christmas, and Elizabeth returned to him — she had briefly dated him earlier that spring before he was believed to be dead. After a few months, Elizabeth realized her feelings for Jake Doe were stronger than for Ric, so she broke up with Ric to return to Jake. Ric hired Hayden Barnes to pose as Jake's wife, and Jake reluctantly returned to Hayden. Carly was suspicious and revealed the truth at the Nurse's Ball, interrupting Ric's proposal to Elizabeth. She was furious and broke up with him, but while looking for Jake, she ran into Nikolas who told her that Jake Doe was Jason Morgan.

Elizabeth was shaken and nearly told the truth, but ultimately decided to keep the truth from everyone. Everyone else had stolen their happy ending, why couldn't she? She even kept silent after Hayden Barnes learned the truth and was shot in the head just as she was going to tell Jake and Sam the truth, putting her into a coma. Even after her son Jake returned from the dead in July of 2015, Elizabeth kept the secret. She and Jake Doe grew closer and were going to get married that fall.

Carly, with Spinelli's help, did a facial reconstruction that revealed Jake Doe was Jason Morgan and stopped the wedding. The truth came out, but initially Elizabeth's knowledge of the secret was kept. I don't remember how it came out, but Jason learned that Elizabeth had known for months and left her angrily. He eventually got his memories back and reunited with Sam, leaving Elizabeth as the town pariah and vulnerable to the serial killing psychopath, Franco.

Helena also died in November 2015.

**Timeline – 2016-2017**

I know this time period way less because I stopped watching when I knew Elizabeth would be the villain (August of 2015). Basically, after Jason and Elizabeth broke up, Jake tried to get his parents back together. He did some things that made Sam suspicious and she confronted him. She fell down the stairs, Jake fled and got hit by a car. Sam accidentally blew up Elizabeth's house trying to escape. At this point, Franco and Elizabeth connected over Jake being in the hospital and her issues.

Also that year, Nikolas died in Greece at Valentin's hands but no body was found. Jason and Sam got remarried that summer, Elizabeth nearly died when serial killer Paul Hornsby pushed her down the steps (he also killed Sabrina Santiago), and she found out Hayden Barnes is her half-sister. Then that fall, her rapist Tom Baker was let out of jail, but the show royally fucked up that storyline. She and Franco started seriously dating, and he moved in with her and the boys in the spring of 2017. Jason and Sam had a daughter in February 2017, Emily Scout. Sam got sick with toxoplasmosis and nearly killed Sonny.

As for Sonny and Carly, they remarried in 2015 after Sonny was pardoned for AJ's murder (FUCK YOU GH). Morgan was diagnosed with bipolar disorder. He started dating Kiki again, and Ava was convinced Morgan needed to go back to Shadybrooke, so she switched his meds to force it. Unfortunately, this put Morgan into a tail spin that led him to steal a car with a bomb in it, meant for Julian (and set by Olivia Jerome). Morgan died in October 2016. Carly and Sonny were destroyed by this.

Nelle Benson had come to town, revealed as the actual donor of the kidney that saved Joss's life as a child. She basically played the Carly playbook, getting close to the family, and tricked everyone into thinking she and Sonny had slept together shortly after Morgan's death. Carly and Sonny nearly divorced. By the summer of 2017, they're back together but shaky and Nelle has convinced Michael she's sorry and they begin dating.

**Timeline – Fall of 2017**

At the opening of the story, Jason (Jake Doe) has just emerged from a coma. He was shot by one of Sonny's enemies after Sam rushed into and messed things up. He decided to leave the business and told Sam he had bought her father's media company. Julian is in jail for what happened the year before. Sonny and Carly have wallpapered over their issues, but things are still difficult since Nelle exists and Michael is, you know, dating her. Elizabeth and Franco are living together with the boys. He has an art show, displaying a portrait of himself as a child with another boy. It's a memory from his his childhood, and he goes to talk to Betsy about it.

Nikolas is dead, and Spencer is in boarding school in London. Valentin is living in town, having married Nina West as part of his custody battle with Lulu over Charlotte (born from one of the embryos that Britt and Liesl stole from Lulu back in the day). Laura and Kevin are dating. Patrick and Robin moved to Berkley in the fall of 2015 with Emma, and had a son in the summer of 2017, Noah Robert Drake.

**Changes**

I've made a few small changes to the show. One, Audrey dies in June of 2017 — a few months before the opening of this story. This is mostly because Rachel Ames has retired and we need to acknowledge it. Two, I aged Cameron earlier than the show did. All of the teens are sixteen — Cameron, Joss, Oscar, Trina, Spencer, and Emma. Jake is ten, Aiden is eight, and so is Charlotte. Outside of that, I don't think I've made any other big changes.


	2. Chapter One

_I know the breakdown  
Everything is gonna shake now someday  
I know the breakdown  
Tell me again am I awake now  
Maybe you can find the reason that  
No one else is living this way _  
\- Breakdown, Tantric

* * *

_August 2010 in Bern, Switzerland_

**Church of St. Peter and Paul**

Victor Cassadine smiled as he walked towards the altar of the church, finding great amusement in the sight of the woman dressed from head to toe in unrelieved black with a lace veil covering her face.

"I'm always surprised that you can step foot in a place like this," he drawled. The woman turned away from the altar where she had been lighting candles. "I thought it might be you asking for this meeting when I received the message." He glanced around the empty chapel, then lifted a brow at her. "You always did have a flair for the dramatic."

She lit the last candle, then stepped down to meet Victor. "And you came anyway?"

"It's never boring," Victor told her. He sat in the front pew, stretching his arm across the back of the wooden pew. "Why a Catholic church, darling? We're Orthodox."

"We're _practical_ ," she murmured as she sat next to him and lifted the veil on her hat. "You've heard the good news?"

"Of course. You're a great-grandmother again. A little boy born to Nikolas." Victor narrowed his eyes as the woman's lips curved. "For someone who has been cast out of his life more than once, I don't see why you're so happy."

"I had a thought, my dear Victor," she said, "that Mikkos would be disappointed in the children he sired. None of them have taken up the reins the way they ought to." She tilted her head. "What about Liesl's brats? Wasn't one of them yours?"

"Possibly," Victor said with a light shrug. "They might also be Cesar's. With Liesl, one never knows. You shouldn't look for the Cassadine line to continue through me. No, Nikolas and his boys — they're your best bet."

"Perhaps," she purred. "If only there were _two_ of them."

Victor felt the corner of his mouth tug up. "Darling, what _are_ you up to?"

"Reviving the Cassadine line," she replied. She straightened the cuffs of her long black sleeves. "It's not always in the blood, but in the breeding. I have a plan, Victor, but I'm afraid I cannot do it alone."

"And what can I do for you?"

"You have some old friends that I might want to speak with. And now that you're at the WSB—" Her smile deepened. "You have so many resources. I thought we might find it amusing to revive some old experiments."

"You'll have to be more specific, dear." Victor shifted. "What experiments?"

"Controlling the mind, manipulating memory—" she sighed dreamily. "I came close with my beloved Lucky. So close to finally cracking it all and getting my revenge on Luke and Laura but I was stopped."

"And you can't abide while a Spencer lives?"

"The Spencers remain on my list, but they are not the only ones who have wronged me. My grandson who lied to me—" Her lips trembled before she pressed them together as the fury in her eyes grew. "He deceived me, led me to believe he had finally come to my side—and he might have. But _she_ always stopped him."

"She?"

"Elizabeth Webber. The mother of Nikolas's new son." She laughed then, a dark chilling laugh. "So many fathers for her children, what's one more lie for her to live?"

"My dear—" Victor squinted. He didn't quite understand her delight.

"If Nikolas had killed Elizabeth Webber when he was supposed to, I would have the grandson I deserve. She made him weak, and she keeps him tied to the light. With the death of that insipid girl Emily, he should have been ripe to fall—" She calmed herself, her breathing rapid. "When I have broken Elizabeth, I _will_ have my grandson back."

"And the experiments," Victor said slowly. "They'll help you do that?"

"Oh, I couldn't destroy her without them. This little lie about Aiden—" She examined her nails. "It's just the first of the tortures I have planned. And when she is gone, when Nikolas has fallen— _then_ it will be time to finish Luke and Laura—"

"Then how will you revive the Cassadines?" Victor asked, as the woman rose to her feet and reset her veil. "Without Nikolas, there's just his sons—"

Helena lifted a brow. "I would not put much stock in the elder boy. His mother was weak and easily broken. As for the other—" She turned her gaze towards the altar, at the candles she had recently lit. "Well, that remains to be seen." She waited. "I have made my request, Victor. What is your answer?"

Victor mused on this for a long moment, then nodded. "I _have_ been thinking about getting into that line of inquiry," he admitted. "And, interestingly enough, I have some research going on in the labs now that might be useful." He stood as well. "But that does not answer my question, darling. Without Nikolas or his progeny, how do you plan to revive the Cassadines? And for whom?"

"It's time to look to a new branch." Helena Cassadine lifted her face into the light for a brief moment and her smile would have sent chills down a lesser man's spine.

"Mine."

_Thursday, October 26, 2017_

**Brooklyn, New York: Red Hook Terminal**

The freighter bound from St. Petersburg, Russia, set down anchor in Brooklyn just before five that morning. The sun would not rise for another two hours, and the skeleton crew remained asleep in their bunks or in the control room, navigating the thirteen-hundred-foot ship into the world's deepest harbor.

Only two men stirred from the bowels of the ship, neither of them planning to exchange names or information. They'd passed a comfortable two weeks at sea by speaking very little to one another and planned to go their separate ways.

The elder of the two men stepped onto the docks, taking in the surroundings, his eyes already squinting and planning his next step.

It was all he had thought about since he'd opened his eyes in that clinic more than four thousand miles away in Russia. The comfortable walls of his penthouse. His family. His friends. His _life_.

He'd tried to contact his wife just once, but the number must have changed—he hadn't recognized the other man on the line, and he'd decided it was better to wait. To see his family in person. What would they think? How would they react?

While crossing the Atlantic, he had learned that it had been five years and not six months since he had gone to take a meeting on the docks and been shot. What had they gone through at home? How long had they looked for him? Where they _still_ looking?

Did they think he was dead? Did they think he'd left them?

"Happy travels, my friend," his companion said, tossing him a two-finger salute. "May you make it home as safely as you reached these golden shores." Then he simply vanished into the shifting shadows of the quiet dock.

But it would not remain quiet for much longer. Already, he could hear the clinks and clanks of cargo being shifted around, the dull roar of engines being started, the murmurs of workers— it might not yet be dawn, but the night was drawing to a close—and the docks never truly went to sleep.

He knew that better than most.

And Jason Morgan was going home.

**General Hospital: Nurse's Station**

"I'm sorry," Felix DuBois declared, planting a hand flat against his chest, and widening his eyes. " _Where_ did you say your ex had gone?"

"To New York," Elizabeth Webber explained patiently as she scribbled her name at the bottom of some paperwork. Since she'd been promoted the year before, it felt like she spent her entire life standing behind this desk with stacks of charts. She really missed her patients. "He's signing the final contracts to buy Wells Publishing from Julian's representatives." She wrinkled her nose. "And _don't_ start. He's already mad at me because I made the same face you did."

"Well, I'll admit, I didn't know the man in his glory days," Felix said, stepping out of the hub to start his rounds, "but even a few months ago, I didn't peg him as a CEO of a media conglomerate."

"Oh, God, when you say it like that, it sounds even worse, but—" Elizabeth shrugged. "It's what he wants, and I don't have a say in it. He'll be safer now, which is good because Jake does not need anything else to go wrong this year. He was barely in therapy for the Chimera disaster before my grandmother died, and then his father nearly dies—" She pressed her lips together. "It would be great if the world could leave me and my kids alone for like…eight seconds."

"I hear ya, babe. Still, Jason Morgan, CEO." Felix shuddered. "It doesn't even sound right, does it?"

"Felix—"

"I'm stopping—" Felix put up his hands. "I'm innocent, I promise." He turned around to start down the hall, then made another face as the elevator doors opened and a man stepped out. "If you're looking for a drama-free life, I've got some suggestions on what else to chuck."

"Don't start on that either," Elizabeth muttered as Franco Baldwin, her boyfriend of almost a year, strolled towards them. They'd been rocky over the last few months since he'd moved in with her and the boys. Still, she was hoping with Jason's recovered health and Franco's successful art show behind them, it would get better.

It _had_ to get better, didn't it?

"Hey. How's Betsy?" she asked as she reached for another chart, and Felix melted away from them. "Was she excited about the money you gave her?"

"She's always happy when she doesn't have to pay her own bills," Franco said with a shrug, but there was something in the way he wouldn't meet her eyes—

"What happened?" Elizabeth asked, furrowing her brow.

"Nothing."

She clenched her jaw, then took a deep breath. "Look, you can tell me it's not my business, fine. But don't lie to me."

Franco's eyes flashed as they met hers. "Don't tell me _you're_ the honesty police all of a sudden. I can't have any thoughts to myself?"

"I told you—no lies." Elizabeth shot back, even as her cheeks flushed from the reminder of why she'd even given him a second look after her wholly insane and apocalyptic lie about Jake Doe's identity. She'd only barely begun to crawl out from beneath that and have people look at her again without seething hatred. "Tell me to butt out, but _don't_ lie to me."

Franco hissed, then exhaled slowly. "You're right," he admitted with an irritated flush in his cheeks. "My mother—"He shook his head. "Come with me."

This did not bode well, Elizabeth thought as she followed Franco down the hall and around the corner to his therapy room. "Franco—"

"I showed my mother the catalog that Ava put together for the show," Franco said. "And she saw that picture I did of the two boys."

Elizabeth fought down the urge to roll her eyes. That stupid portrait had haunted him for days while he'd tried to get it out on the canvas. He'd been insistent on getting it _just right_ —and that she wouldn't understand because it wasn't like she'd done any art for years.

She hated when he did that. He was right, of course. She wasn't a real artist, but she knew what it was like to have a vision in your head and need to see it in the world—they'd had a huge fight about it just before he'd left to go see his mother. And if she was honest with herself, she was still irritated with him because he'd never bothered to apologize for the crack about her not being a real artist.

"What, did she get mad when you told her Andre bought it?" Elizabeth asked, folding her arms.

"No," Franco said. "She actually…" He hesitated. "The boys in that portrait—I thought they were maybe three or four. But she said—" He looked away. "She said that we weren't that old."

"Weren't—"Her hands fell to her side. "What does that mean? _Was_ it a boy you knew when you were young?"

"Not just any boy." Franco fastened his eyes on her. "Heather wasn't lying when she told Sam there was another brother. She was just lying about it being me."

Elizabeth stared at him for a long moment, then shook her head. "Wait. What are you talking about? Are you saying that Jason has a twin brother out there? That Heather just…gave him to Betsy? How do we know she's telling the truth? What did she even tell you—"

"Why are you so interested? You want to go find him?" Franco asked, his tone caustic. "See if maybe he wants his brother's leftovers?"

The pain was sharp, and tears stung her eyes as she took the hit. "Why do you do that?" she asked. "Every time I mention Jason, you do this. It's exhausting—all I was saying was that if he has a brother out there, that means Monica has another child. Jake has another uncle. It _matters_ , Franco—"

"It doesn't. He's dead," Franco snapped. "So just drop it. He died a long time ago when we were two. He fell down the steps, so there's no magical Quartermaine out there. You wanna go tell them there _was_ one? Just so Monica can mourn _another_ kid?"

Elizabeth rubbed a fist against her chest. It was always going to be like this with Franco. He was still going to have that seething jealousy of her history with Jason and the conviction that she hadn't really _chosen_ Franco—that he'd just been the only one who wanted her after everything she'd done.

And she didn't know how to reassure him because, of course, he _wasn't_ her first choice. He wouldn't have made the top ten list but after her lie—

Franco had been the only one there who seemed to give a damn. It was just exhausting to always feel like she was fighting the same battles she'd been fighting since she was a teenager. She was _always_ explaining to the man in her life that she and Jason were just friends.

"I guess," Elizabeth said after a long moment, "that it makes sense not to tell Monica. At least not now. I mean, you don't even know if Betsey is telling the truth. Maybe he's not dead. Or maybe he is, and he wasn't Jason's brother. You know she tells stories, Franco. She told you that you were Jason's twin for most of your life."

"Yeah, maybe." Sullenly, Franco crossed to the brushes drying next to the sink. "Sorry," he added as an afterthought. "You know I didn't mean it. It's just—I hate him, and he hates me."

"Yeah, well, it'd be great if you stopped taking it out on me. He's Jake's father. Even when he hated me, that didn't change. He will always be part of my life, Franco. And if you really can't handle that, then I don't know what we're doing here."

He turned to look at her but said nothing. Finally, she sighed. "I have to get back to work. I'll see you at home later."

"I'll probably put some time in at the studio tonight," he said. "I'll call."

"Fine."

**New York City, Penn Station: Empire Service Track**

It had seemed like a romantic decision at the time, Samantha Morgan reflected as she stepped off the elevator and followed her husband onto the Amtrak service train. They went moved through several cars until they could locate the private one he had organized.

A second honeymoon, he'd told her, even it was just overnight. Things had been so crazy since he'd come home from the hospital that he wanted her to himself for just a little while. An overnight train ride from New York City to Rochester, and then a limo for the journey's final leg home to Port Charles.

They were in New York to sign the final papers to start their new life, and Sam couldn't decide if she was terrified, excited, or just plain worried.

"I think this is us," Jason Morgan said, as he stared down at the ticket, then squinted up at the train car. He looked at her, flashed that grin that she loved so much—the grin that didn't quite seem like the man she'd fallen in love with a lifetime ago, but the man that had woken up from his coma two months earlier—he was different.

Jason seemed happier once he'd decided to walk away from Sonny Corinthos and the business he'd been in his entire adult life. Sam didn't really understand how it was an option now when it never had been before, but she wasn't going to argue. All she'd ever wanted was for Jason to put her first. To choose her over everything else. Over Sonny and Carly. And Michael. The business. Elizabeth and Jake.

Finally— _finally—_ Sam and the life he'd promised her was the priority. She had been wrong when Sam told Carly that Sam was happy being second or even a distant third on Jason's list of priorities.

Jason wanted her, and he wanted their kids together. It was the dream she'd never thought possible all those years ago when she'd been pregnant with Danny. They'd had those terrible arguments about John McBain, Franco, and the baby she was bringing into this world. In the last year, since their most recent wedding and the birth of their precious daughter, Sam knew that he loved her. That he wanted her and their children. She could stop wondering if she was a second choice, a backup.

"You okay?" Sam asked as Jason stowed their baggage in the overhead compartment. "You've been quiet since we got to Penn Station."

"Yeah, I guess I just—"He looked around. "I didn't really look at the pictures. It's…cramped."

"It's cozy." Sam slid her arms around his waist and smiled up at him, her lashes fluttering as he lowered his head to kiss her. "Do we _need_ a lot of space?"

"No, I guess we don't." Jason paused. "Is this what you want?" he asked. "Not the train," he said quickly. "But the…company. I feel like I pushed you into this."

"I was surprised at first, you know that," Sam said. "But you're going to be safe. And _you_ want this. So, we'll do it together. We'll build something for Danny and Scout to have."

"And Jake."

"And Jake," Sam said, her smile tightening. "Right. For all of the kids. A legacy better than the one either of us had before. You want this, Jason, so let's make it happen."

**New York City Port Authority**

Less than half a mile away, another man named Jason Morgan pulled a baseball cap tight over his eyes and set down money at the ticket desk. "Port Charles," he said roughly, deepening his voice.

He'd once been good at blending into a crowd — he was fortunate to be of relatively average height and build with dark blonde hair that didn't stand out. He could disguise his bright blue eyes with a hat and avoiding eye contact, and with a shift in the octave of his voice — he could disappear anywhere.

But he wasn't used to people, not anymore, and every time someone bumped or shoved him in the crowd, he stopped, forced himself not to tense or brace for a hit or an attack. He was in New York; he'd made it into the city without anyone following him. The men from the clinic should have no way of knowing he'd made it this far—that he was actually in the United States. For all Jason knew, they were still chasing him around Russia.

He would get home, and he would figure out everything else then. Once he was back inside the safe and familiar walls of the penthouse where'd he lived most of his adult life—once he'd talked to his family, reassured them he was alive—everything would be okay.

He would be okay.

He _just_ had to go home.

"Only bus going to Port Charles has two transfers," the man behind the window said in a bored, listless tone. He wasn't looking at Jason—he was probably one of those workers who never focused much on the customers, just on doing the job. Good. Jason preferred it that way. "Gotta switch in Syracuse and then in Rochester."

"Fine," Jason said flatly. "Book it." The transfers were good. He could blend into the crowd or change the route if he thought he was being followed.

"It don't leave until 1:15 in the morning."

Jason grimaced, then glanced at the red digital clock behind the man. It was only six in the evening. He'd have to find something to do with the next seven hours. Maybe he'd check into a hotel and get some sleep. Just an hour or two. Maybe even three. How long had it been since he'd slept three full hours? Would he even be able to?

He had barely slept on the journey from Russia, not even after he'd been joined by the anonymous friend in the cargo hold. A few hours of rest —

"You want the ticket?"

"Yes." Jason slid another twenty over when the man told him the price and then retrieved his ticket. He shoved the precious ticket into his pocket and walked away from the window. He didn't duck his head too much, didn't stare at the ground — that looked too suspicious. No one in the city wanted to look at him; he didn't want to look at them.

He thought about calling Sonny again now that he was in the States. Sonny could have a jet here in an hour. He could be back in Port Charles by nine. He looked over at a solitary payphone in a corner by the entrance. Sonny would recognize his voice.

But what if men were watching Sonny? What if the only thing keeping Sonny and everyone else at home safe was that Jason hadn't made contact yet? No. Better this way. He'd get back to Port Charles. Get home.

Just had to get home.

He left the Port Authority terminal and blended into the crowds heading towards Times Square. This part of New York didn't have that many dingy motels that would rent by the hour. Still, there were a few chains across the street. It was worth it — worth the chance to check in, to shower, to just have a minute where he could lock the goddamn door and breathe— But he didn't have any identification.

That stopped him just outside the Hilton. He had nothing but maybe another hundred dollars given to him by the guy in the church. No credit cards. No driver's license. Nothing identifying him as Jason Morgan from Port Charles, New York, or anyone else.

He exhaled slowly, grimacing as someone bumped him from behind. Okay. So, he'd have to find something else to do for seven hours. Maybe he'd walk the city. Keep moving. Good. That was the right thing. He'd just stay on his feet.

He'd sleep when he was at home.

**Greystone: Foyer**

"Hey, Miss Webber," Max Giambetti said cheerfully as he pulled open the door to Elizabeth, gesturing for her to come in. "Cam and Joss are in the living room—"

Elizabeth pursed her lips. "You know, how come my kid gets to go by his first name? I've known you longer, and I've asked you to call me Elizabeth a thousand times."

"Uh—" Max hesitated, then blinked. "I don't know. I never really thought about it. Sonny and Carly thought it would help Joss adjust to the guards when she moved in if they didn't always call her Miss Jacks, but—" He furrowed his brow, thinking it over. "You know, honestly, it was just something Sonny and Jason always drilled in. Respect. You and Mrs. C."

"I've heard you call Sam by her first name," Elizabeth said, lifting her brows. "What, don't you respect her?"

"I am _not_ answering that," Max said with a swift shake of his head. "Not even if she's in New York City and can't hear me."

Elizabeth rolled her eyes but let the man off the hook. "Thanks." She left him in the hallway and headed for the open double doors of the Greystone living room where Cameron and Joss were sitting on the sofa, phones in their hands, their math textbooks and notebooks open on the coffee table — not being used.

" _This_ looks like studying to me," she said dryly, folding her arms. Cameron turned to her and grinned immediately.

"From what Gram used to say about you in high school," he said, "that's probably true."

"Oh, good one—" His best friend and eternal partner in crime, Jocelyn Jacks, slapped him playfully. "I'm stealing it to use on Carly."

"Hey, to you—" Carly Corinthos declared as she sauntered into the living room from the other direction, probably from the kitchen, "that's _Mom_." Ignoring her daughter's eye roll, she lifted her chin. "Elizabeth."

"Carly." Elizabeth cleared her throat. "How's the, uh, hotel?"

"Good. The hospital?"

"Fine."

"You know, I think I liked it better when you guys weren't trying to be civil," Joss complained as she leaned forward to close her math book. "This is weird, isn't it, Cam?"

"I have no idea what you're talking about," Cameron said. He got to his feet and started shoving things into his bag.

"Elizabeth and I have no issues with each other," Carly said, making a face. She looked at Elizabeth. "At least not this month."

"No, I'm sure we'll find something later to yell at each other about, but right now we're good."

"See, _weird_!" Joss declared. "Anyway, Mom, I wanted to ask if I could hang out at Cam's tomorrow night. With the relaunch party, he's gonna hang out with his brothers, and Oscar and I wanted to do pizza and a movie or something."

"The party," Carly repeated. "I forgot about that." She sighed. "Yeah, I mean, if Elizabeth doesn't mind you annoying her—"

"No, it's fine. I, um—" Elizabeth shrugged. "I think I'm still invited, anyway. Jason and I—well, let's just say that I didn't take this whole new career direction all that well."

"You?" Carly frowned. "You're usually jumping at the chance to lick Jason's—"

"See, you _had_ to say something," Cameron muttered to Joss as Elizabeth's eyes narrowed. Joss shrugged unapologetically. Sometimes a girl had to push the drama.

"Believe it or not," Elizabeth said coolly, "when Jason Morgan announced he was leaving the warehouse and Sonny to become a CEO of a media company, I thought I was having a hallucination. He was annoyed when I asked him to repeat himself." She paused. "And when I asked what he knew about running a media company—"

Carly winced. "Okay, yeah, I might have asked the same question when he told us, so depending on what order—" She huffed. "This is weird, right? It's weird."

"It's…" Elizabeth glanced at Cameron and Joss, unabashedly listening. "It's something." And she wasn't really sure she wanted to reflect all that long on the whole thing since it just reminded her of the fight she'd had with Franco. The same fight they'd had since the day they'd started seeing each other.

She was exhausted by the presence of Jason in every piece of her life, even when he shouldn't be there. Was she going to be punished forever?

"You know what?" Joss said. "Cam wanted to take home some of Uncle Sonny's cookies to Aiden. We'll go into the kitchen and get them and give you—" She checked her phone. "Like five whole minutes to complain to each other and use words and phrases you don't want us to hear."

"What if they start fighting?" Cameron asked, following Joss out of the room.

"Then we'll come watch—"

Carly rolled her eyes, then crossed the room to stand closer to Elizabeth and pitch her voice lower — waiting until she knew Cam and Joss were out of earshot. "This is insane. It's completely insane, and I don't know what the hell he's thinking."

"Carly…" Elizabeth pressed her lips together but then remembered the incredibly devastating year Carly had suffered—from the loss of Morgan and the near-collapse of her marriage to Sonny— "I don't know either. I didn't realize—" She paused. "I didn't realize leaving the warehouse was an option. He never made it seem like it was before."

"Because it wasn't—"

"Or maybe he just wants this life with Sam that much," Elizabeth said, even as her chest tightened. And he hadn't wanted it enough with _her_.

Carly paused, then exhaled slowly. "I guess. After losing two years to the Cassadines and another to amnesia and you—"

"Carly—"

"I'm not starting; I'm just stating facts," Carly said blandly. "And maybe he's tired of dealing with Sonny and me." She looked away then, her expression shifting for a moment. "Hard to blame him there."

"All we can do is support him," Elizabeth said. "That's what I'm going to do."

"Yeah. Well, I'll _try_ ," Carly muttered. "But I can't make any promises."

"Always good to know your limits." Elizabeth ignored Carly's scowl and raised her voice. "Cam, let's head out!"

The teenagers came back in the living room faster than they should have if they were in the kitchen, but Joss looked annoyed enough that Elizabeth thought maybe they hadn't heard anything.

As Elizabeth turned the car back down around the circular driveway and headed back to the gate, Cameron cleared his throat. "About tomorrow night and the party."

"Yeah? Trina can come over, too. If you were going to ask that," she added, waving at the guards who let her through the gate.

"No, I mean, yeah, but I was—Franco's probably not invited tomorrow."

"I don't think he was left off the invitation by accident, no. Which—" Elizabeth glanced at Cameron. "I mean, if you guys want to go out, I can ask if Franco will stay with your brothers—"

"No," Cameron said sharply. "No. I said I'd hang with them. And it's fine, Mom. My friends get it. No, I wanted to know if Franco was gonna be at the house."

"I—" Elizabeth tapped her fingers on the steering wheel. "No, I don't know. He's been putting in a lot of time at the studio. Why?"

"Nothing. I guess I just—it'd be more fun if it was just us at home. Like it used to be," Cameron said after a long moment. "Before he moved in."

There was something there, something in the tone of his voice—Elizabeth hesitated. "I'll ask him to stay in the studio tomorrow," she said.

"Thanks. I mean it, Mom. I appreciate it. I get—" He was quiet for a moment as she steered her car onto the road that took them to downtown Port Charles and their house. "He makes you happy. And I want that. So, thanks."

"Cameron—is—" She hissed as someone pulled out of a parking spot in front of her, cutting her off. "Damn it! Don't people look where they're going—"

"No, I guess not. Hey, question. Did you have McGinty for bio when you were at PCH?"

Recognizing that Cameron wanted to change the subject, Elizabeth didn't press him — but she put it away in her head.

Because something wasn't right.

**New York City Port Authority**

Jason slunk past the chain link fence that wrapped around one of the alleys behind the bus terminal. It was dark, but the streetlights flickered enough to keep him going. Just another hour until he could board the bus.

Just one more hour—he'd be home tomorrow. He'd be home, and he'd find out what the hell was going on—

But he just had to keep his eyes open, and be on alert for another hour—

He heard the _scritch_ and _squeak_ of something skidding—a sound that likely saved his life because Jason turned to look and saw the foot flying at him—it would have landed in his back, sending him sprawling to the concrete.

Jason's hand flew up and shoved the foot away from him—then he spun around, and his hand lashed out at the neck of a second man coming for him. Jason choked him briefly, digging his fingers into the vocal cords before throwing him across the alley—the man slammed into the brick wall and slumped to the ground.

A third man came right at him, but Jason ducked and flipped him over his back before reaching for a metal trash can. He swung it out, knocking the first man back as he had picked himself up for a second attack.

Three of them. Jason took them in, his eyes squinting in the dark. No, definitely just three of them—

He snatched the metal trash can lid from the ground and used it like a shield as his eyes scanned the alley for something— _anything_ he could use. Finally, he caught sight of something long and slim on the ground—a pipe.

The second man—the one he'd thrown in the wall—came at him again, and Jason swung out with the pipe—feeling the familiar satisfaction when the metal connected with a jaw—blood spurted, and the man slumped to the ground.

"Damn it! He didn't say he was a fucking maniac!" the third guy grunted. "Some fucking mental patient—"

"Just get him!"

"Fuck you, _you_ get him!"

Jason gripped the pipe in one hand, the trash lid in his other hand, and faced the two still standing. "Go back to Klein! This is your last chance!"

Not taking him seriously — the first guy made another frontal attempt, and Jason caught him under the chin with the pipe. He went flying to the ground and didn't get up.

"Shee-yit, there's not enough money in this," the third guy decided as he took in his two companions on the ground. "I'm going! I'm going!"

He took off down the alley and disappeared. Breathing hard, Jason glanced around the alley, but no one was coming. No police. No curious bystanders. He edged towards the two unconscious men, then kicked one of the legs. Nothing. They didn't move.

Jason tossed aside the pipe and lid, then searched them. He took the three hundred dollars he found in one of the wallets and the fifty from the other. He found a gun tucked into a holster on one of them, likely unused to avoid the sound of bullets echoing and drawing attention.

Jason straightened, checked the safety, then tucked the gun into the waistband of his jeans.

And for the first time since he'd woken up in St. Petersburg all those months ago—he almost felt like himself again.

He was going home. And no one was going to stop him.


	3. Chapter Two

_Once more into the crowd_  
 _Temptation wears you out_  
 _Go home, your heart_ _’s too loud_  
 _Always alone_  
 _It's no surprise that all the things I like_  
 _Are making me a ghost_  
 _I should have never started killing time,_  
 _I can't go slow_  
\- Seen Enough, Dryer

* * *

_Late 2011_

**WSB Geneva HQ: Office**

Andre fought back a swell of anxiety as he walked into the new research director's office. He knew that some of the research he had proposed over the last year or so had made him a target for laughter and ridicule among his coworkers, but this was the WSB. Nothing should be too out of the norm for this organization.

But the new research directory's request to meet with him personally had Andre wondering if his latest proposal hadn't just been out of the norm, but more akin to jumping off a cliff.

"Mr. Cassadine," Andre said as the older man stood from the desk and offered a hand. "It's nice to meet you."

"Dr. Maddox, no, the pleasure is mine." Victor Cassadine shook his hand warmly. "I was grateful you could take the time to meet with me. Have a seat."

Andre sat, wondering if the man would be so polite to someone he was planning to fire. "Is there something I can do for you?"

"Yes, your latest research proposal came to my attention as I was looking over the research programs here." Victor held it up. "I've been interested in the science of memory for a very long time, and I have to say, I was quite intrigued by your hypothesis."

"You were intrigued," Andre repeated, squinting. "Well—"

"I've always wondered what makes a man," Victor continued. "If memories are the essence of our personality or if there's something else more _elemental_ that gives us life. The loss of memory, the creation—it's all very fascinating." He paused. "You suggest in this proposal that you think you might be able to map and implant memories."

"Yes. I thought the technique would have a lot of medical benefits," Andre said. "Particularly for dementia and Alzheimer's—"

"Yes, yes, of course. But I was thinking of how useful it would be to the WSB. Ultimately what you're discussing is memory extraction," Victor continued, "and since memory can be such a fallible thing, it would be quite interesting if we were able to simply extract the memory we need. Think of how much more useful witness interrogations would be."

"I—" Struck by that turn, Andre simply stared at him. "I hadn't considered that."

"Of course, if the technique proves possible," Victor continued, "we have no problem with you licensing and allowing the medical field to use it, but the WSB has its own needs." He arched a brow. "And if we're to fund a practical application of your theory—"

"Practical," Andre repeated, his heart beginning to pound. Practical. He could get everything he needed to finally bring Kita back to him. "What does the WSB need me to do?"

"I think the question, Dr. Maddox, is what are you _willing_ to do?"

_Friday, October 27, 2017_

**Port Charles Bus Station: Entrance**

He missed the first transfer scheduled out of Syracuse, which meant it was just after one when the bus pulled into the terminal and the passengers disembarked.

He'd watched the downtown skyline draw closer as the bus had traveled towards Port Charles—the rise of ELQ and the hotels in the center of town, and the cluster of buildings surrounding the park—the familiar landscape of the city he'd called home his entire life.

Now that he was here—now that he was _home—_ Jason had second thoughts about what to do next. Should he contact Sonny directly? Should he try to call Sam? Should he try to call someone who Klein might not expect and have _them_ reach out to throw off the scent?

He found a pay phone in the alley next to the bus station and nearly lifted the receiver off the hook to call Elizabeth—but what if her number had changed? What if it was like Sam when he'd tried to call in Russia? What if Jason was wrong and Klein _was_ watching Elizabeth? He didn't want to put her boys in danger.

No. No. He snatched his hand back. Better to stick to the plan. Better to go home. The penthouse was his. It had always been there. The security at the Towers wouldn't have changed, would it? Sam was still there with Danny. She'd want safety.

He'd go home. Just like he planned.

And then everything would be okay.

**Greystone Manor: Living Room**

At the same time, miles away, Jason thought he'd finally figured out what he'd been doing wrong all these years. As he watched Sonny pour the glasses of champagne and pass them to his wife Carly, to Sam—

Jason wondered why it had taken so many years to walk away from this life, from this partnership. Sure, when he'd been young and single, it hadn't felt like a option. He didn't know any other way of life. But after Michael, after getting a taste of what it was to be a father—why hadn't Jason leaped at the opportunity sooner? He'd wasted so much time with Jake and Danny, with Sam — he _wasn't_ going to have those regrets with his daughter.

He smiled down at Sam as she lifted the champagne to her lips, her dark eyes sparkling with excitement. "Tonight," she said in that low, husky voice that he fell in love with more every time he heard it. "It's the start of the rest of our lives."

"The _best_ part," Jason promised. He tipped his champagne against hers, then turned to Sonny and Carly, whose smiles were as false as their friendship. He knew they were both angry that he'd finally decided to put himself first, to put _his_ family first. Sonny was better at pretending than Carly—he might actually come around and see this was for the best — but Carly was already giving Sam dirty looks.

He'd have to keep an eye on that, but Sam squeezed his elbow, and he offered her a half-smile before focusing again on Sonny and Carly. "I appreciate the well wishes and your understanding of why it has to be this way," Jason told them. He held out his glass. "I want you to come to the relaunch party tonight to show there's no hard feelings."

The corners of Sonny's mouth tightened, but he tipped his glass against Jason's. "Of course. After everything you've been through, you deserve a fresh start. You've taken one too many bullets for me."

"I'll say," Sam murmured.

"Funny since _you_ were the reason he got shot this time," Carly said sweetly as she glared at Sam over the rim of her glass.

"Carly—" Sonny and Jason said in unison, both of them wincing.

"What? She shoots you, then gets Jason shot, and we're all fine with it because the _cats_ made her do it?" Carly said to Sonny acidly. "Now we're losing our best friend because she flicks her little doe eyes—"

Sam narrowed her eyes. "Considering you're the woman that made sure Franco got all the charges dropped against him, then nearly married him, I'd think you'd understand how disease can screw with your brain—"

Carly tightened her grip on her champagne glass. "How _dare_ you—"

"I see we've stopped even _pretending_ to like Sam," Jason muttered. He set the champagne glass down. "Sonny, you're welcome to come, but—"

"It's my hotel." Carly lifted her chin. "And considering she's never had a legitimate job last more than a week, how are you even planning to run a media company with her? Neither one of you has a clue—"

Jason felt the lick of embarrassment crawl up his spine even as a voice in his mind whispered that she was right, that he was making a fool of himself, that this was a terrible idea, that this wasn't him, _this wasn't right, don't you know it doesn't feel right—_

He shook his head, clearing his head, focusing on what he knew was real. "I'm smart, and what I don't know, I can learn."

"But—"

"It's his choice, Carly." Sonny rubbed his chin with his thumb, studied Jason for a long moment. "And maybe we've been holding you back, trapping you with who _we_ think you should be. You were satisfied once with this life—"

"I was never satisfied," Jason bit out. "I just didn't think I had a choice. This was a bad idea," he told Sam.

"I tried to tell you, but _you_ wanted to make nice." Sam shrugged. "Look, Carly's just jealous you won't be running to her beck and call." She stepped in front of Jason, blocking his view of his friends, fastened her eyes on him. " _Everyone_ said you couldn't do things after the accident, right? And you didn't listen then. Now everyone thinks we can't do _this_."

"Everyone?" Sonny said with an arch of his brow.

"Elizabeth expressed some doubts," Jason said dryly. "But she also thinks Franco is a good guy, so you know what her opinion means to me these days."

Carly narrowed her eyes. "Is that a dig at _me_?"

"Take it however you want." Jason took Sam's hand in his. "You can support me, Carly, or not. But this _is_ going to happen."

"I think it's insane," Carly repeated. "But—" She closed her eyes. "Sonny's right. And I'm trying not to be selfish all the time. Trying," she repeated through clenched teeth when Sam snorted. "You should give it a shot sometime, you little—"

Sonny grabbed her arm, gave her a _shut up_ look, then looked at Jason. "We'll be there, and I'll talk to Carly. You've always had my back, Jase. I'm gonna do the same for you."

"That's all I want to hear." Jason looked at Sam. "Let's go. We have a lot to do before tonight." He led her into the foyer. "I need to stop at the hospital before I come home to get dressed, so I'll meet you there."

"I'll be there." Sam pressed her lips to his. "We _can_ do this," she told him. "I can't wait to start this next chapter, Jason."

"I love you," Jason said, kissing her again, ignoring that voice screaming, _she doesn't believe you either, she knows, she knows, she knows this is wrong, you know this is wrong, this isn't right—_

He took a deep breath. "I'll see you at home."

**General Hospital: Art Therapy Room**

Elizabeth scanned the text to Cam asking about the party that night and Franco's plans, then knocked on the open door of the art therapy room where Franco was cleaning brushes in the sink. "Hey, do you have a minute?"

Franco glanced over, grunting and nodding. "Yeah, but just a few. I have kids coming in about ten minutes."

"That's fine. My break's almost over anyway." Elizabeth folded her arms. "I just wanted to let you know that I'm still going to the party tonight—"

"I'm not," he cut in, tossing another brush into the sink with a clunk. He reached for a towel to dry his hands. "So you can save your breath."

"I wasn't going to ask that," Elizabeth said with a roll of her eyes. "You weren't invited. Cameron is going to stay home with Jake and Aiden, but he wanted to invite some friends over—"

"So—?" Franco lifted his brows and gestured with a hand. "What's that got to do with me?"

"The house is going to be filled with teenagers," Elizabeth said as she narrowed her eyes. "If you'd _stop_ interrupting me and let me finish, I'd tell you. He's inviting Joss, Trina, and Oscar, so you might want to make yourself scarce—"

"If this is to force me into going—"

"Again, you weren't invited, and I'm definitely not asking Jason for any favors where you're concerned—" Elizabeth pulled her vibrating beeper from her waistband. "Cam asked me if he could have the house to himself tonight, and I said he could as long as he watched his brothers. So find something else to do—"

"You're kicking me out of my own house—"

"I'm not—" Elizabeth closed her eyes, counted to ten, and prayed for the patience to deal with this. "You're deliberately trying to pick an argument with me, and I'm tired. I told you I'd keep your damn secret about Betsy—"

"Hey—" Franco strode forward and tugged her away from the door, closing it behind her. " _Don't_ say that too loudly—"

"I'm not telling anyone Jason has a secret twin brother who died," Elizabeth said, "'And it's not like Jason would even take your word for it. Or mine, for that matter. He's only _just_ started talking to me again—"

"Yeah, we know how important it is for you to be on Jason's good side," Franco muttered. "Gotta have him in reserve, right?"

Elizabeth stared at him. "We _just_ had this argument yesterday. Are you really that angry that Jason no longer hates me for lying to him about who he was? I thought you were happy that people were finally starting to forgive me—"

"I am—"

"Because I made a mistake, and I paid for it," Elizabeth continued. "My boys paid for it. And it's been hard on them since Gram died in June—" She faltered, the loss still so sharp it nearly took her breath away. "It's taken two years to get past that lie—"

"Don't be so paranoid. I don't care what you do with Jason. Just stop making me try to like him—"

"I wouldn't dream of it," Elizabeth said, exhausted by the whole conversation. "I just wanted to tell you Cam was having friends over."

"And that he doesn't want me there. Why doesn't _that_ bother you? Everyone in this town hates me, Elizabeth. Including your kid. I don't see you taking my side in this," Franco said her bluntly. "Why didn't you just tell him no when he asked? You keep telling me you want people to see I've changed. How about you try telling Cam that once in a while?"

Elizabeth bristled. "Don't tell me how to raise my son—"

"Well, it's not like there's anyone else lining up to do it," he snapped. "Maybe everyone knows something I don't."

She stared at him, then rubbed her face. "Sometimes," she murmured, "I think you liked it better when I was the town pariah."

Franco winced. "Elizabeth—"

"My break's over." She pulled the door open and left, unsurprised when he didn't follow.

She had a shift to finish, and then she was going to pick her boys up after school. All she needed were her boys and her job.

Everyone else could go to hell.

**Morgan Penthouse: Living Room**

The security at Harborview Towers had all but disappeared in the years he'd been gone. There'd been no security in the parking garage or the lobby. Jason popped the lock on the penthouse, then slid the tools he'd purchased in New York City into his back pocket.

He walked into the penthouse, then stopped. The pool table by the windows was gone, and the walls had been repainted. The furniture had been replaced.

Jason swallowed hard, then took another step. There were photos on the mantel he didn't recognize. The last time he'd been in this room, there had just been photos of Michael and Morgan. He had always kept one of Jake in his back pocket —

He reached for it now out of habit, but it was long gone. Just like his son.

There were nearly a dozen frames now scattered across the mantel, some jumbled together. Some were of Sam's sisters and Alexis, but then he saw Sam was standing with a baby and with a small blond boy that must be Danny. He would have just turned five—

And there was a wedding photo. Jason picked it up, took in the sight of Sam with another man. She was smiling. Happy.

Jason exhaled slowly, then placed the frame back on the mantel. He looked back around the room.

He'd known it had been five years. Of course he had. But he'd lost track of what that really meant. He didn't realize until he'd walked through the door that part of him had expected to find the penthouse looking exactly as it had the night he'd left Sam and Danny upstairs and gone down to the docks.

Jason walked back across the living room—looked blankly at the playpen he'd missed the first time he'd come into the room. He'd had a desk there, but it was gone now. Replaced by more evidence that Sam had moved on in the last five years.

He was nearly at the door when he heard a voice in the hall—Sam's voice and a younger boy. He winced, then rushed over to the terrace, making his way onto the balcony and closing the door just before the front door opened. He left it slightly ajar to listen for an opportunity to leave.

"Guess what, guess what?" a little boy asked. Through the blinds, Jason caught sight of Sam smiling, an infant in her arms.

"What?"

"I got all the stars!" the little boy declared with a wide grin. Sam tousled his blonde hair, then disappeared slightly. When she came back into view, the baby was gone, so she had probably set her in the playpen.

" _All_ of the stars? Let me see your folder—" Sam held out a hand, and the boy shoved something into it. A bright green folder with DANNY scrawled across the back rose into Jason's eye line. "Oh, wow! Danny, your teacher says you know your alphabet forwards _and_ backwards! That is so awesome!"

"Can I please please go to your party tonight?" Danny asked, hopping up and down. "Please, please, with a cherry on top! I'll be so good, and Scout won't even be lonely because she'll be asleep, and—"

"No, sweetie, no kids allowed—"

"Oh, come on, Mom—" Danny sighed. " _Please_?"

"No, but tomorrow your father and I will do something really special with you, I promise. Go into the kitchen," Sam told him, "and get your snack. I'll put away your things, and we'll get started on your homework."

"Okay, but I only got math, Mommy! And it's so easy!"

Sam laughed, and Jason watched as Danny zipped out of view. She hung up his jacket in the closet, but then the door opened, and the man he recognized from the wedding photo came in.

"Hey—"

"Hey!" Sam kissed him lightly. "Danny's in the kitchen. He got _all_ the stars," she told him seriously. "And he's going to ask you if he can come tonight."

"Well, maybe for a few—" The man grinned as Sam glared at him. "Oh, he's gonna try to divide and conquer. He gets that from you."

"I already told him no, so—" Sam sighed. "I better go with you. You never say no to him. You're such a pushover."

"You say that like it's a bad thing—"

Their voices faded as they went into the kitchen. Jason waited a minute but decided this was his best chance. He carefully opened the door and hurried across the living room, stopping only a moment to look at the little girl in the playpen. She was less than a year old with dark curls. She held up a stuffed giraffe, smiling at him.

Jason exhaled slowly, opened the door, then left. He'd come to the penthouse first instead of going to Sonny because he'd wanted to go home.

But this wasn't home. Not anymore.

**Metro Court Hotel: Lobby**

"What time do you want me to come back and get you?"

The sound of her eldest son's voice from around the corner drew Carly's attention as she scribbled her name at the bottom of a contract and handed it back to her assistant. Michael's only reason to be at the hotel at this time of day would be if he was here with _that woman_.

The woman who had slipped and slid into their family like an ally and a friend only to plunge the knife into Carly's back and try to destroy _everything_ —

No, the last thing Carly wanted today was a run-in with her.

"I can just meet you here for the party," came the soft reply. "You have to pick up your sister and drop her at Cameron's, and I don't want to run into your mother."

Damn right, Carly thought to herself as she walked closer to the corner, carefully to keep out of sight.

"No, that's a good point. Thanks for coming tonight. It's weird," Michael said, "and I don't really understand what my uncle's up to, but I guess if this is what he wants—"

"I mean, he did just get shot, Michael—"

"He's been shot before, Nelle. This feels different."

"He's not as young as he used to be, and he's got three kids now. Maybe having Scout last year woke him up."

"Maybe. Do you want me to come up, or are you okay with Nina on your own?"

Nelle Benson's sigh was deep and wistful. "I'm sure it'll be fine. They found the necklace, didn't they? They know I didn't do it."

Carly lifted her brows, intrigued.

"I'm glad they found it before we had to leave," Michael continued, "but I can't believe Nina would take the maid's side over yours—"

"It's fine, Michael. The maid was wrong; the necklace is back where it's supposed to be, and I have a deadline to meet if I'm going to leave on time tonight. I'll see you at the party."

Carly stepped back from the corner just as Michael came around it. He squinted at her, then scowled. "How long have you been standing there?" he demanded.

"I was signing contracts with Jenny," Carly said. She folded her arms. "Did the little bitch go upstairs, or is she lurking around corners, too?"

"She's at work," Michael muttered. "Don't start, Mom—"

"I don't _need_ to start. Sounds like the world is starting to catch on to Nelle Benson without my help. What did she do this time?"

"There was a misunderstanding on the Morocco trip," Michael said, clenching his teeth. "It's fine now."

"Uh huh." Carly shrugged. "Well, keep her away from me tonight, and we won't have any problems."

**Port Charles Park**

Jason pulled his hat down over his eyes and shoved his hands in his pockets, keeping his head bowed as he walked through the park. He would have boosted a car to get across town, but he hadn't stolen a car in more than a decade and wasn't sure if his skills would be rusty. The last thing he needed was to be caught.

He wanted to get to Greystone, to talk to Sonny. Sonny would know what to do. He could count on Sonny.

"It's not my fault!" a voice exclaimed from around the corner. Jason stopped short, then ducked behind a bush. A little boy with brown, curly hair walked past him, clenching his hand around a baseball tucked into his palm. He turned and glared at whoever was behind him. "Charlotte's so _mean_ , Mommy!"

"I know," a woman said with a sigh, and the hair on Jason's arms rose up. He _knew_ that voice. He focused on the little boy again. Could that be Aiden?

"Why do I gotta pretend she's not?"

"Because if you're not nice to her," a boy said, "she'll shove you over the parapet—"

" _Cameron_!"

Jason just managed to get out of view before the group walked past. Elizabeth was glaring at the oldest boy with her—Cameron—who would be sixteen by now. His hair was dark blonde, and he was taller than his mother—not that it would be difficult to achieve that. Cameron turned back to face Elizabeth, his grin stretched across his face.

" _What_ did I say about parapet jokes?" Elizabeth asked. She set a pumpkin on a nearby picnic table and put her hands on her hips. She didn't look much older than she had the last time he'd seen her—the day she'd told him the truth about Danny being Sam's son, admitting that her grief over losing Jake had broken her in ways that neither of them had really understood until then.

Her hair was shorter, and she'd lightened it to nearly the shade it had been the summer they'd conceived their little boy. Jason's stomach twisted as he brought back the image of his son, their baby, who had never made it to his fourth birthday.

"Not to make them around Grandma Laura," a fourth voice piped in. A boy, older than Aiden but younger than Cameron, walked into Jason's eye line and set another pumpkin, a smaller one, on the table. He had sandy blonde hair and light blue eyes with a smile that he'd inherited from his mother.

"Jake." Elizabeth pressed a fist to her temple as the blood in Jason's veins pounded. "You're _not_ helping."

"I'm the middle child, Mom," Jake told her. "It's not _my_ job to help. It's my job to be funny. Cameron's supposed to be in charge."

"Then we're all doomed," Elizabeth retorted. She dismissed her older boys and looked at Aiden. "Look, you're right. Charlotte is a pain in the ass, and I'm sorry about that. Your Aunt Sarah was a giant pain in _my_ ass the entire time we were growing up. Do your best, get through these years, and if you're really lucky, the day will come when you never ever have to see her again."

"That — "Cameron slung an arm around Elizabeth's shoulders. " _That_ right there is what makes you the best mom. Because that is actually useful advice. Suck it up, Aiden. The world is full of idiots. You just gotta survive until one of you moves out of town."

" _Or_ pushes you off a cliff—"

"Jake—" Elizabeth threw up her hands. "Why do you do this?"

"Because it's _funny_ ," Jake said, seriously. His eyes were wide. "I mean, Mom, didn't you say I get my sarcasm from you?"

"Right now, I'm wishing you got your father's ability to be quiet," Elizabeth said with a roll of her eyes.

He'd listened to the entire exchange between the four of them, not understanding what he was hearing. How _Jake_ could be standing in front of them — how Elizabeth could be there with all _three_ of her boys —

But that was his son. Six years older than he should have been—ten years old—Jason swallowed hard, trying to take it in. Trying to process it.

"Oh, man!" Aiden said. "I dropped my baseball!"

"Why do you have a baseball?" Cameron wanted to know. "You _hate_ sports—"

"Yeah, but I won it at school, and I beat Charlotte for it—"

"I see it!" Jake said at the same time Jason saw a baseball roll past him. He stood frozen to the spot as the little boy ran past him to grab it. He turned to face his mother, and Jason just stood there — less than six feet from his son.

His _son_.

Jake was _alive_.

As if sensing his presence, Jake turned, and their eyes locked. His face crumpled up in confusion. "Hey—"

"Jake?" Elizabeth said, her voice sharp. "What's taking so long? Is something wrong—"

"Mom—"

Jason wanted to stay, wanted to see Elizabeth, wanted to ask her how this miracle had happened — but he couldn't.

He couldn't make sense of anything he'd seen in the last few hours, so he turned and left, disappearing around the corner just as Elizabeth and the other boys reached Jake's side.

"Jake?" Elizabeth put a hand on her son's shoulder. "Was someone there?"

"Yeah. It was the weirdest thing," Jake said, looking up at her. "He looked like Dad."

Elizabeth frowned. "Looked like—"

"But not Dad now," Jake added. "Like before. Before his face got messed up."

"Mom?" Cameron asked. She blinked, looked at him blankly. "Maybe you should take Jake to see Dr. Maddox."

Jake scowled. "I'm _not_ crazy!"

"I didn't—" Cameron blanched. "I didn't mean that, Jake, but—"

"No, it's a good idea." Elizabeth cleared her throat, looked around the corner where Jake had pointed. "Just-just give me a minute—"

She walked around the corner, but didn't see anyone. She frowned, then looked back at Jake, who was glaring at his brother. "Cameron, can you do me a favor—"

"Yeah, just drop Aiden and me off at Kelly's," he said with a nod. "Jake, don't give me that look. If you're seeing your dad's old face, then you should talk to Dr. Maddox. We ignored the signs last year."

Jake subsided, his face falling. "Mom, I really _did_ see him."

"I know, baby," Elizabeth said. She returned to his side, brushed his hair out of his eyes. He tilted his face up to look at her with his father's beautiful eyes. "And we'll talk to Andre about it to be safe, but it was probably someone who sort of looked like him."

She glanced at Cameron, troubled. Neither of them had quite forgiven themselves for not seeing Jake's slow descent the year before leading up to the scene at the Nurse's Ball when he'd nearly unleashed a deadly toxin that could have killed them all. It had brought back too many memories of the Cassadines and Helena's ill-fated Endgame nearly twenty years earlier.

Elizabeth was never going to let the Cassadines hurt her baby again. No matter what she had to do to protect him.

**Wyndemere: Study**

Valentin Cassadine wanted to reach through the phone line, drag this pissant doctor through it, then strangle him.

"Six has been awake since April, and you're only telling me now because he escaped? How long has it been since he _escaped_? And why didn't you tell me he was awake?"

"It's been, uh, a few weeks. We were hoping to re-secure the property before—"

"You were covering your ass—" Valentin hissed, clenching his jaw. "He could be _anywhere_ by now! He could—"

He could be in Port Charles. _Damn it_.

"Where are you?"

"New York City, sir. We traced him that far yesterday, but we thought he was probably heading home—"

"Oh, how fucking _brilliant_ of you to realize a man gone for five years might try to come home—" Valentin's scowl deepened as the office door opened, and his wife stepped in, her brows raised. "What?" he nearly snarled, but then he swallowed hard and pasted a smile on his face. "What is it, darling?"

"I was just wondering if you minded if I left early for the hotel," Nina said, her eyes narrowing. "I have a few things to take care of after the Morocco trip, so—" She paused. "Is everything all right?"

Everything was on fire and falling apart, which was fucking infuriating since Valentin had been so close to finally getting everything he damn well _deserved_ —

"Yes," Valentin said. "I'll meet you at the hotel tonight."

"All right." Nina glanced at him again over her shoulder, then left the door. Valentin focused on the phone.

"You get your ass to Port Charles now, and you better hope that you find Jason Morgan _before_ he blows this all to hell!"


	4. Chapter Three

_As you turn to your mind,_  
_And your thoughts they rewind,_  
_To old happenings and things that are done,_  
_You can't find what's passed,_  
_Make that happiness last,_  
_Seeing from those eyes what you become,_  
_What you become_  
\- Haunt, Bastille

* * *

_Early 2011 in St. Petersburg, Russia_

**Cathedral of St. Andrew the First-Called**

Victor sat next to the veiled woman in the last row of pews. "At least we're not blaspheming this time with Catholics and candles."

"You always set too much store in such things," Helena murmured. "Religion is only useful when you can wield it against someone. It's for the weak-minded."

"Right." Never one to take chances, Victor slid just a few inches away from her in case lightning struck — but Helena Cassadine seemed to be outside the purview of even God himself. "You said you had some thoughts as to how we could begin our partnership?"

"Jason Morgan," Helena said. "Are you familiar with him?"

"Not entirely, no," Victor admitted. "We don't deal with the mob often in the research department, but I know the name. He was a Quartermaine once, was he not?"

"Yes. He's also the father of Elizabeth's middle son." Helena's lips curved. "The one everyone is pretending belongs to Lucky. There's a paternity test on file, and I've made it my business to know everything about her."

"And what this has what to do with me?"

"I want to know everything about _him,_ and no one goes after the details like you do, my dearest." Helena paused. "Didn't your brother have something to do with the Quartermaines?"

"Tony was having an affair with one of the nieces," Victor said. "Alexandra, I believe. She died with him." He frowned. "Now that you've put it into my head, I do recall Alexandra being particularly irritated that summer. She was pushing Tony to get married and complaining about her cousin and gold-digging mistresses."

"And?"

"You _do_ remember that she and both my brothers died just around the time I was arrested and thrown into prison for the best part of a decade? You expect me to remember conversations I had more than forty years ago?"

"You never forget anything," Helena said flatly. "What did she say about the gold digging mistress?"

"Just that Alexandra had paid her to leave town and was demanding more money, or she'd come back. Or something along those lines. Helena, I'm happy to investigate Jason Morgan, but to what purpose?"

"I thought about simply killing him," Helena said. "Taking him and one or two of the boys along with him. The eldest can be quite annoying, and I know she favors the middle child—Jason's son. But I want her to suffer, Victor."

"Yes, well, I'm aware of that—"

"I want to know everything. Where he came from, where his mother came from. I want to know _all_ his secrets," Helena snapped, her voice growing fervent. "I want to know how to break him so that I can destroy her. You said you would help me."

"And I will," Victor said smoothly, "but the time will come when I ask for you something in return, darling, and you would do best to remember that I am not a man whom you want to cross."

_Friday, October 27, 2017_

**Kelly's: Courtyard**

Cameron set a soda down in front of his brother and looked at Joss with worry etched into his light blue eyes. "It was _weird_ , Joss. Things were super normal, and then, BAM! Jake sees his dad's old face."

Joss wrinkled her nose. "And no one else saw this guy?"

"Is Jake sick again?" Aiden asked. "Is that why Mommy took him to the hospital?"

Cameron hesitated, studied his youngest brother, and considered lying. They'd been able to get away with not telling Aiden a lot last spring when Jake had nearly killed their entire family at the Nurse's Ball under the influence of Helena Cassadine's mind control, but he was almost a year older now. He was eight.

Cameron had known a lot about the world when he was eight—and he'd _always_ known when adults were lying to him.

"We don't know," Cameron said finally. "But you know that Mom is going to take care of things. She always does." He looked at Joss.

She nodded. "That's right, Aiden. Don't worry about Jake. Your mom's got this handled, and if she needs any help, Uncle Jason will be there. We all will."

"Trina, too?" Aiden asked with a sweet smile. "I like Trina. She gave me extra chocolate in my milkshake."

Joss made a face, but then Cameron shot her a dirty look. "Yeah, yeah, and Trina." She checked the clock on her phone. "Speaking of Oscar, his mom finally agreed to let him come over tonight. She's so weird."

"Protective," Cameron corrected. He glanced back when the front door to the diner swung open, and Trina Robinson sauntered out, a tray in her hands. "You got it?"

"I can do this in my sleep," Trina said. She set Aiden's burger and fries down, then gave Cameron his pastrami on rye with a disgusted look. "I _hate_ the smell of that—"

"You're missing out—"

"And a side of fries for you," Trina muttered as she set Joss's plate down with a clunk. "Anything else?"

"Nah, you coming tonight?" Cameron asked before Joss could say something rude. "Oscar finally got the okay—"

"Depends. My mom wants to know if your mom's creepy ass boyfriend is gonna be hanging around." Trina cocked out a hip. "Mom says that Elizabeth Webber has god awful taste in men, but _this_ one takes the whole cake—"

"We get it, Trina," Joss cut in with a roll of her eyes.

"Was anyone talking to _you_?"

"Are you going to fight again?" Aiden asked, interested. "Because I need someone to teach me how to hit a girl _without_ actually hitting a girl."

The two mortal enemies switched their attention to the youngest Webber boy. "Why do you need to know how to hit a girl?" Trina asked. She made a face. "Is Charlotte messin' with you again?"

"Cam says I gotta suck it up because maybe one day we won't be in the same town," Aiden said, "but I'm eight. That might take a while."

"Truer words were never spoken," Joss said, sending Trina a glare out of the side of her eyes. "We can declare a truce long enough to tell him about that time I tripped you and got away with it—"

"Or when I accidentally dyed your hair blue," Trina said sweetly.

Cameron furrowed his brow. "This doesn't sound like a good way to keep the peace. Anyway, I don't know about Franco, Trina. Mom said she'd ask him to go somewhere else, but he didn't seem to commit one way or the other."

Trina sighed. "Well, I can try to lie to Mom, but if she catches me, I'm blaming you." She nodded at Aiden. "Keep your head up, babe. Me and Joss have been torturing each other since kindergarten, and we get away with a lot of _accidents_." She flashed Joss a rare grin, and the blonde shot one back at her. "Keeps life interesting." She leaned over to kiss Cam's cheek. "I'll see you later."

**Cemetery**

He had visited this spot so many times after Jake died that Jason thought he'd created a path in the grass from the stone path to his grave.

One of the few acts he and Elizabeth had performed together as parents was watch the stone be installed, nearly two months after that terrible day in March. He could remember the way her hands had trembled, the way her skin had looked like marble.

She had stared at the words inscribed on the stone and had just closed her eyes. She hadn't cried, hadn't fallen to the ground. Had only closed her eyes.

 _Jacob Martin Webber_  
_May 4, 2007 - March 21, 2011_  
_Beloved son and brother_

The stone had been delivered the day after Jake would have turned four, and it had a little inset picture of Jake — a smiling photo of him during his last Christmas, with a wide grin that matched his mother's. Elizabeth had set Jake's favorite toy on the ground —a little yellow motorcycle Jason had given Cameron the year he and Elizabeth had been together. Cameron had handed it down to his younger brother.

Until that night in October 2012, Jason had gone to the cemetery every few weeks just to remind himself of what he'd lost—the son he'd been too afraid to love and to hold close. With Jake's death, Jason had given up any dream of ever really being a father again.

He could have walked to this grave in his sleep.

But now the stone was gone.

It was a punch to the gut, and Jason stood there for a long moment, not sure how to process it. If he could believe his own eyes. He knew what he had seen in the park — _knew_ that Elizabeth had called the boy Jake, but his brain had refused to accept it.

He didn't deserve to have that miracle. His son would never turn four. It was a fact, a deep scar on Jason's soul that would never fade —

But the boy in the park had _looked_ like Jake. Had his name. Had spoken to his brothers like he was part of them. And Elizabeth had said—she'd _said_ she wished he was quiet like his father.

Like Jason.

Jason exhaled slowly. He'd been there the night the machines had been turned off. He had seen Lucky tell Elizabeth it was over—he'd watched over Joss after that night, feeling like a part of his son was still in the world—that keeping her alive and safe would be like finally taking care of Jake—

How was this _possible_?

"I'm sorry, but I don't know what to call you."

Jason blinked at the vaguely familiar voice and turned to look at the familiar slim blonde who had stepped up to him, a hesitant smile, and the half-mask still covering her face. The woman who had distracted the doctors and helped him escape from the clinic. He was glad to see that she'd been able to get away, too. He'd worried about her since then—had she been punished for helping him?

"You never told me your name at the clinic," the woman said. "My name is Ava. Ava Jerome." She waited, then frowned when he said nothing. "You don't know it?"

"Yours? No." And Jason wasn't going to tell her his. Not yet. Not when he didn't know what was going on or who he could trust.

"Oh. Well, I'm so glad you're all right. I didn't think you'd come to Port Charles. I mean, I knew you were _from_ here—"

"I have…" He looked back at the space, swallowing hard. "I have family here. Do you…do you know what happened to the stone that used to be here?"

Ava nodded. Stepped up beside him. "You must not have been in touch with anyone here for a long time if you didn't know about Jake Webber. He's been back for just over two years now, I think.

"Back," Jason repeated. He focused on Ava. "So—he's alive? _How_? There was an accident—"

"I'm not close to the family." Her lips pursed. "Not really. But I did know Nikolas Cassadine a little. He died last year," she added as an afterthought. "His grandmother kidnapped Jake, thinking he was Lucky Spencer's son. I can only imagine the relief Elizabeth felt when Luke and Lucky brought him home."

"He's alive," Jason repeated, letting it sink in. _Alive._ "He's okay."

Ava furrowed her brow. "So you did know him?"

"I—" He paused, then nodded. "Yes." Jason rubbed his chest. "His mother and I—"

"You were friends?"

Friends. It was the best word to describe it, so Jason nodded. "Yeah. Friends. For a long time."

"If you didn't know little Jake came home—" Ava sighed, "and you know Elizabeth, then you probably know Sonny and Carly."

Jason's head whipped back to face her. "What about them? Are they okay?"

"Alive, yes," Ava told him. "But they had a loss of their own." She gestured at a nearby stone. "Their son died last year."

Their son—Michael? Morgan? Jason's heart was pounding so hard he could hear it in his ears. He strode across the patch of grass, away from the empty plot where Jake had never rested until he found it—

 _In Loving Memory_  
_Morgan Stone Corinthos_  
_October 24, 1994 - October 7, 2016_

It was like a nightmare seeing that name on a stone. Jason had held Morgan as a baby, had watched him grow up — and now _he_ was dead. Gone forever.

"How?" Jason choked out.

"A car bomb," Ava murmured, staring at the grave. "He stole a car meant for someone else. He and my daughter were dating. It's—" She pressed two fingers to her lips. "It shouldn't have happened. He needed a little help, but he was a sweet boy. I'm so sorry—" She blinked at him. "You never did tell me your name."

Jason knelt down, ignoring the question. "He needed help?" he echoed.

"He had bipolar disorder, like Sonny," Ava said. "He was trying to handle it, but he needed more help than Kiki could give him. More than anyone could. We—we _all_ made mistakes in handling it, and then before we could—" Her voice faltered. "Before we could fix it, he was gone."

Jason bowed his head. God, Carly must have nearly lost her mind, and Sonny—how had they been able to get through it?

"I'm sure it was a comfort that Jason Morgan came home. That his memories were back by then," Ava continued. "I'm not sure Carly could have managed without him."

Jason stared at her, squinting. _Jason Morgan came home_. The words slipped and slid around his mind, but they didn't make sense. Unless—

"Jason Morgan," Jason repeated as he got to his feet and met Ava's eyes. "Got his memories back?"

"Oh, my, you really _have_ been gone for a while. Jason was thought dead after he went off a pier in—" Ava tapped her fingers. "I'm not sure — it was almost a year before I moved here, and that was in the spring of 2013. Anyway, there was this mysterious stranger in the ER about three years ago. He'd been hit by a car and had to have surgery on his face. He looked completely different, and with amnesia—" Ava shrugged. "He called himself Jake Doe for a while, and I guess that makes sense," she continued. "He must have remembered part of his past because he grew quite close to Elizabeth, in fact, even before they knew the truth. They nearly married. But the truth came out, so he left her and went back to Sam."

Jason stared at her. "Jason Morgan was living here for a year with no identity," he said slowly, " _then_ remembered?"

"No, I think there was more to it—there were DNA tests and whatnot—" She laughed, slightly nervously. "Listen to me go on like this. All this gossip!"

Jason stared down again at the grave, unsure what to think, how to process. Sam had married a man calling himself Jason Morgan. Elizabeth had nearly married the same man. The man at the penthouse—he wasn't someone Sam had moved on with.

He was someone she thought was _him._ And if Ava was telling the truth, _everyone_ thought this other man was Jason. Sonny, Carly…Elizabeth.

"I can understand if you don't want to tell me who you are," Ava continued. "Particularly if you're a friend to Sonny or Carly. They are _not_ my biggest fans," she admitted. "They have…some good reasons for that," she added, "but I wish we got along better. Sonny and I share a daughter—" She pressed her lips together, then reached into her pocket for her wallet. She pulled out a card. "If you need anything—"

Jason blinked at her then reached for the card slowly. Ava Jerome, Jerome Galleries, with a number and an address. "Thank you."

"Well—" Ava cleared her throat. "I need to be going. I have a party at the hotel tonight. Actually, it's for Jason and Sam. They just bought her father's media company and renamed it. They're doing a relaunch—" She hesitated. "Is there anything I can do for you?"

"No," Jason said, faintly. "But thank you." He listened to her footsteps as she returned to the pathway and walked away.

He needed to get to Sonny and find out what the hell was going on. And if someone was here, living his life, pretending to be him—if everyone had accepted it—

Jason would need to find a way to prove to Sonny who he was. His face, his voice, his memories might not be enough. He needed something that would prove that _he_ was the real Jason Morgan. Something that no one but he and Sonny knew.

**General Hospital: Andre Maddox's Office**

Andre stared at the three missed calls from Valentin Cassadine's personal number, then exhaled slowly and set his phone on his desk.

Valentin hadn't contacted him since the Chimera incident, and Andre had hoped that they'd all moved on. The experiment was over. Jason Morgan would rot away in a medically induced coma until his body simply gave out, and Drew Cain would continue to thrive in his new life, never knowing he'd ever had another life..

Memories could be mapped and implanted. Some semblance of the old life could be resurrected. The research was completed. Andre could take the information and figure out the next step.

Valentin contacting him — that was _not_ a good sign.

"Andre?"

A hesitant voice and light knock on his open door broke into his thoughts. Andre looked up and stared blindly for a moment at Elizabeth Webber and her son, Jake.

Jake. _Another_ reminder he wanted to forget.

He pasted a smile on his face and rose to his feet. "Elizabeth, Jake. I wasn't expecting you today—"

"Mom thinks I'm going crazy again," the blond said darkly. He twisted his head to look at his mother, a scowl etched into his features. "I'm not crazy. I _saw_ him."

"I know, baby." Elizabeth tucked a piece of his hair out of his eyes. She looked at Andre. "Jake had…"

"I saw someone who looked like my dad, and everyone freaked out," Jake said. He shrugged off his mother's hands and stalked towards the chair, sitting down. He dropped his backpack on the ground. "It's not like before, Mom. I heard voices before. I felt like….urges to do stuff. I don't have any of that."

With a sour taste in his mouth, Andre sat down. "Why don't we start at the beginning?" he asked, his mind racing, trying to piece things together. He'd seen a man who looked like his dad? That wouldn't make sense — Drew Cain had had facial reconstruction surgery. _No one_ should look like him —

"We were in the park," Jake said, flatly. "Aiden had this baseball from school, and he was playing with it while we were talking. It rolled away, and I went to get it. It was behind a hedge, and there was this guy. He was just standing there."

"He was already there?" Elizabeth repeated. "Like waiting for you—"

"I don't know, maybe he was listening, or maybe he was walking past." Jake jerked a shoulder, then stared at his shoes. "I looked at him. He looked at me. And he—he looked like Dad. But not Dad now."

A chill slivered down Andre's spine as he swallowed hard. "What do you mean?"

"Like before. Like the pictures. And kind of how I remember him. I _do_ remember him a little," Jake told his mother when she blinked at him. "Sort of. There are pictures at Grandma Monica's, and you've got pictures. With me and Cam. Aunt Emily. There are _lots_ of pictures—"

Elizabeth dug through her purse and took out her wallet. She drew out a photograph and handed it to Andre, who reluctantly accepted it. It was an old photo—small and clearly from a traditional camera, not a phone. Elizabeth and Jason were posed with a bride and groom, Elizabeth in a deep red dress, smiling next to a man Andre knew was Nikolas Cassadine, and Jason Morgan next to the bride.

"That's his sister's wedding. I caught the bouquet," Elizabeth said quietly. "Jason caught the garter. It's—it's really old," she admitted. "From 2004. But—"

"Is this the man you saw?" Andre said, handing the photo to Jake, his heart pounding as he awaited the answer. Elizabeth had aged gracefully—barely any lines had been added in the thirteen years since, but Jason was older than her, and he hoped that it was different enough—

"I don't know," Jake said after a moment. "Dad looks really young here. The guy in the park was wearing a hat. But I saw his eyes. They're like mine, Mom. You _always_ said—"

"But maybe it was just someone who looked like your dad did then," Elizabeth said. She rummaged in her wallet. "I used to have another one," she muttered. "A newer one. From—" She tugged out another photo. "Here—" She handed it directly to Jake. "That's a picture of you and Cameron with Jason. You were about fifteen months old."

"Yeah, this looks more like the guy," Jake said. "His hair was darker like this one," he continued, looking at Andre. "Mom, I know it's weird. I _know_ it doesn't sound right, but I think it really was someone who looked like Dad did _before_ the accident."

Elizabeth scrubbed her hand over her face, took a deep breath. "Okay. Okay, Jake." She paused. "You know, I saw Felix at the nurse's station. Can you go sit with him a minute?"

"So you and Dr. Maddox can talk about how I'm crazy again? Forget it." Jake tossed both pictures on the desk, and Andre slid them closer, looking at the second photograph.

It was easy for him to forget that Jason Morgan had been someone before the night Cesar Faison had shot him and shoved his body into the water to be picked up by one of Victor's men. He'd been unconscious from the moment Andre had met him. When he'd come to Port Charles the year before and come face to face with Drew Cain—it still hadn't fazed him. Drew was an experiment—a shell whose memories weren't his own.

But there was something about looking at these photographs of Jason Morgan from before it had all started. At photos of Jason with his son. _Was_ the man in the park Jason Morgan? Coming face to face with the son he'd thought to be dead?

Had Jason Morgan escaped from wherever Valentin had been holding him? Was that why the phone calls were happening?

"Jake—" Elizabeth began. "You know—"

"I know, I know. You'll tell me what you can when you can. Same answer you _always_ do." Jake shoved himself to his feet and walked out of the room, kicking at the floor as he did so. When Elizabeth checked the hallway to make sure he'd gone to the nurse's station and wasn't listening, she turned back to Andre.

"There's something I need to tell you—" she stopped, frowning. "Andre?"

"Hmm—" He blinked, then focused on her. "Sorry. I just—I don't come across photos of Jason from before. It's—it took me a minute. He looks so different."

"I know." Elizabeth picked up the photo from the wedding. "I think it's what made it a little easier to lie two years ago," she admitted. "It wasn't Jason's face, and it didn't really feel like him." She sighed. "If Emily had been alive, I don't think I would have done it. I wouldn't have kept him from his sister." She tucked the photos back into her wallet. "I'm worried, Andre, because I think I _know_ who the man in the park was."

Andre stared at her. She couldn't know. If she had any idea what was going on—what Andre had done to Jason and his brother, to Elizabeth and her son— "Who?" he asked finally.

"Franco," Elizabeth said. She nodded at the painting behind him, one of the two boys that Andre had purchased. "Hasn't he told you yet? Betsy saw that painting and told him that there had been a brother. A twin named Drew. She said he fell down and died. I wasn't sure whether or not to believe her, but it makes a terrible kind of sense, doesn't it?"

His mouth was dry, but Andre forced himself to speak. "It does," he admitted. "If Betsy was lying about the boy dying, then the man in the park might be the twin. He would have Jason's original face."

"Franco didn't want me to say anything to Jason or Monica, and I agreed. Because I thought the little boy—" Elizabeth sighed and sat back down. "I thought he was dead. What was the point of dredging that all up only to hurt them? But if the brother found out—"

"I wouldn't worry too much about it," Andre said, hoping he looked calmer than he felt. "If this man does make contact, Monica and Jason will understand your instinct to keep it a secret—"

"But shouldn't I tell Jason—" Elizabeth began, frowning. "I mean, this man—Jake _saw_ him—"

"Right," Andre said. "Right." He scrubbed his hand over his face. "All right. But Jason's relaunch party is tonight," he said, nearly desperate to keep her from saying anything to Drew. Not before Andre could wrap his mind around what was happening.

If Jason Morgan had escaped and was already back in Port Charles—how safe was Andre? How safe were _his_ secrets?

Elizabeth wrinkled her nose. "I still can't believe he's leaving Sonny and opening a media company." She got to her feet. "It seems so far from the man I knew, but maybe it's just jealousy," she admitted. "Leaving the business—it was never an option before. Maybe Sam was right all along. She's the one he really wanted." She pasted a smile on her face. "I'll leave it for now, Andre. I don't want to hurt anyone, especially tonight. Thanks."

"No problem." Andre walked her to the door, then closed it as quickly as he could. He hurried to his desk and snatched up his phone.

"It's about damn time," the Cassadine growled in his ear.

"Shut up. Jason Morgan is in Port Charles, isn't he?"

There was silence on the other end of the line, and Andre's stomach sank. Damn it.

**Greystone Manor: Living Room**

"You look like you ate something sour," Sonny said as Carly came through the doors around five that evening. His wife made a face at him and crossed over to the minibar, where she poured herself a glass of water.

"I was finalizing the party tonight, and because I'm not already having a crappy day, Michael was dropping _her_ off at work," Carly muttered.

Sonny didn't need to ask who Michael was dropping off—their son's relationship with Nelle Benson, the woman who had sworn revenge on Carly for reasons that no one really understood, was a sore spot for all of them. Even when Nelle's connection to Carly's adoptive father, Frank Benson, had been revealed, it hadn't explained Nelle's desire for vengeance. She'd drugged Sonny, pretended to have slept with him—and it had brought their already fragile marriage to the breaking point.

They'd only barely emerged from that without a fourth divorce under their belt—or would it have been their fifth? He'd lost count.

Sonny had wanted Nelle to slink out of town, but instead, she'd just wormed her way into Michael's life and set up shop with Nina Cassadine at Crimson Magazine. His mouth twisted, and he joined Carly at the minibar, pouring himself a bourbon. He didn't like to think of Crimson existing without Kate.

"Did you get into a fight with him?"

"That would depend on your definition of a fight," Carly said. When Sonny just lifted his brows, she made a face. "No. I overheard them talking about something happening on that Morocco trip they just got back from. Something about a missing necklace that was miraculously found. I told him to keep her away from me, and then I left."

"Good. If we just ignore the Nelle thing, he'll figure out the truth sooner. If we make this a big deal—" Sonny waited for his wife to meet his eyes. "Carly, if we make this a thing, he'll just dig his heels in more."

"He's not a toddler, Sonny. He's an adult who spent a lot of his childhood watching Jason save one idiot one woman after another, and Michael thinks Nelle can be saved."

"Well," Sonny said slowly, "maybe she can."

Carly whipped her head around, her blue eyes lit with fury. "No. Not by Michael. Not in this family. Let her go find someone else to trap."

"Carly—"

"I'm not talking about this anymore. I have to go upstairs and get ready for this party that I don't even want to go to—" Carly closed her eyes. "I just—I keep thinking it's going to stop," she said softly. "Ever since Jason went off that pier, I feel like everything has just been spinning out of control, and I don't know how to make it stop. And he's home now, but it's like he hates us. Or me," she clarified. "He hates _me_."

"Because you don't even pretend to respect the women in his life—"

"I respected Courtney," Carly pointed out.

"Yeah, well, she was my sister, and she was a pushover. You never liked anyone who Jason dated."

"Because none of them ever liked me—"

"That—" Sonny wagged his finger at her, "—is also not true. You and Elizabeth get along sometimes."

"Sometimes she's not a complete idiot. She was here yesterday with Cam, and we were talking about this. This isn't Jason, Sonny. Leaving the job? Leaving the warehouse? This wasn't an option—"

"Carly—"

" _Listen_ to me," Carly insisted, and he fell silent. "It was _not_ an option. Elizabeth said Jason never suggested it. Not once before Jake's accident. You're telling me if leaving was an option back when Jake was a baby, Jason wouldn't have taken it?"

"Ten years ago," Sonny said slowly, "things were different—"

"Sonny."

"Jason could have walked away," Sonny said. "It would have meant leaving Port Charles, probably disappearing with Elizabeth and the boys for a while to really be out. Neither one of them would have liked that—"

"I wouldn't have either, but I would have understood. I knew—" Carly pressed her lips together. "I knew it was killing him not to be with her back then," she said softly. "To be with Jake," she corrected. "But maybe her, too, and he was angry and irritated all the time. But it wasn't an option. Because he wouldn't have asked her to do it. And he wouldn't have left us. I know the business has changed but has it changed enough that Jason could leave now?"

"Carly—"

"Something isn't right, and it's not just leaving the business. He bought a media company," Carly reminded him. "He's doing a launch party. Has Jason Morgan ever said the word _launch_ without talking about, I don't know, _bombs_?"

"Not even then," Sonny muttered, wiping a hand over his mouth. "What are you saying?"

She stalked over to the terrace doors and stared out gloomily over the grounds. "He would have gnawed his arm off rather than go into business."

"He always liked doing the paperwork at the warehouse," Sonny mused, and she shot him a nasty look over her shoulder.

"He liked doing the _books_ ," she corrected. "The numbers. They—" Carly closed her eyes, hating the way tears stung her eyes. "He said they were predictable. Comforting. They never changed. He used to do the books at Kelly's for Mama when she was managing the place. You know, he barely even uses the bike anymore," Carly muttered. "Helena Cassadine must have fried his brains just like she did to Lucky and Jake, and it's taken us years to figure it out—"

"He wants a safer life for his family," Sonny said. "After Jason got shot in August—"

"Because Sam got involved like she always did—" Carly huffed and sat down. "You know, the one good thing I can say about Elizabeth is she let him do his damn job."

"What do you want me to say, Carly? I don't like this any more than you do—"

"I'm gonna call Uncle Luke," Carly decided. "He'll be able to come to town and look at Jason and see if Helena put the whammy on him or something—"

Sonny rolled his eyes and pulled his vibrating phone from his pocket. "People are allowed to change their minds—" He frowned at the message. _Breach at the Queen's Point house._

"Sonny?" When he didn't answer right away, she called his name again, and this time he looked up at her, blinking. "What's wrong?"

Normally he wouldn't say anything, but he was surprised enough by the content of the text that he let her in. "Back when Elizabeth moved out to Queen's Point," he began, "Jason wanted a safe house in that neighborhood, close to theirs, so they'd have a quick escape route where we could extract them if we needed. I knew he was worried about Jake. About all of them, so he bought the place, but only Jason and I ever knew about it. And Spinelli. Maybe Elizabeth. Jason bought the house and buried the deed. No one ever knew it was connected to us."

"So?"

"We never used it. It was Jason's thing, for his family, and—" Sonny pausd. "I forgot about it. But this—" He held up his phone. "Spinelli sent me a text from Portland. Someone just disengaged the alarm."

Carly rubbed a hand up her arm. "Why would anyone care? Elizabeth doesn't even live in that neighborhood anymore—"

"I know," Sonny murmured. "I'm gonna go check it out—"

"Oh—" Carly winced as her husband walked past her. " _Don't_ go alone—"

"Don't worry. It's probably nothing." He kissed her cheek. "If I run late, I'll just meet you at the hotel."

**Webber House: Living Room**

Elizabeth walked into the living room where Cameron was trying very hard not to beat Aiden at a video game. Judging from the growling of her youngest son, he wasn't doing a good job.

"Hey, Franco said he's spending the night at his studio, so Cam, you're keeping the boys alive. Trina should be able to help with that. Is she still coming?" she asked, leaning a hip against the sofa.

"Yeah." Cameron frowned at the screen. "Her mom might call yours to double-check on the Franco situation."

Elizabeth furrowed her brow. "Excuse me?"

"Dr. Rob does _not_ like your current mistake," Cameron continued absently, almost as if he wasn't really paying attention. "So Trina can't come over if he's here."

"You—" Elizabeth bit her lip. "You didn't tell me that."

"Didn't come up before now. Don't worry, Mom. I'll be in college in another year—"

"Two," Elizabeth muttered, not liking how close her baby was to being eighteen and leaving her. What if he never came home? What if he went far away and never talked to her again like she had with her parents? "Cameron—"

"Joey's mom doesn't let him over here either," Aiden volunteered. "Ever since Joey told her that Franco moved in before the Nurse's Ball." He shrugged. "Joey doesn't have any brothers, so we never gotta fight for the video games."

Why hadn't she _known_ that Franco's presence in her life caused problems for her boys?

"I'm sorry, Mom—" Cameron said. "I didn't mean—" He scowled when his car went off the track. "I wasn't paying attention. I shouldn't have said anything—" He shifted, turned towards her. "It's not a big deal—"

"Is this happening to Jake, too?" Elizabeth asked. She hesitated when Jake stepped off the stairs, his arms clutched around one of Elizabeth's photo albums from her room. "Jake, are your friends allowed to come over?"

"Not when Franco's the only adult," Jake said easily. He set the album on the table and opened it. "Mom, I don't care what you and Dr. Maddox said. I don't think the guy just _sort of_ looked like Dad did. I think he looked _exactly_ like him—"

"Jake—" She could only handle so many crises at a time. She exhaled on a low breath. She'd deal with Franco and the boys later. "I told you—"

"See—I knew it—" He handed her a photograph. "I _knew_ we had a picture of Dad in a hat."

"Really? Jason in a hat?" Cameron leaned over. "He does not look comfortable—hey, Aunt Em looks really young!"

Elizabeth sighed. Jake had grabbed an album from nearly two decades ago. She and Lucky had gone to the Canadian border looking for Emily when she'd been kidnapped by Zander. Jason had rescued her, and they'd returned to Port Charles. She remembered Emily and Jason saying goodbye at Kelly's, and Emily finding a hat in Jason's bag as he'd packed the bike up in the parking lot. He'd bought it at a store at the border to blend in.

Emily insisted he put it on for her, and Elizabeth had snapped a picture of them. She'd given one copy to Emily—and kept the other for herself.

What a different man he'd been once.

"Jake—" Elizabeth looked at her middle, miracle boy. "I believe you. I just—I don't know what I'm supposed to do with it. People _can_ look alike." Her stomach twisted. She hated lying to her boys, but she didn't want Jake to worry. She'd fix this. She'd find a way to make this okay.

"But—"

"I told you I'd make some calls and see if Spinelli could look into this, but we're not going to solve this tonight." She kissed Jake's head and handed the photo back to him. "I'm going upstairs to get ready for the party. Try not to kill each other."

**Safe House: Porch**

The house, six blocks away from the empty lot on Lexington Avenue where Elizabeth had raised the boys until the year before, looked like it had the last time Sonny had seen it.

He'd understood Jason's worries about Elizabeth and the boys living in what had been a new development—so far from the center of town, from the Towers where Jason was. It would take Jason almost a half hour to get to her if anything went wrong—he'd wanted something closer if she needed to run.

Now, Sonny realized he didn't know if Elizabeth had ever known about the house. They'd never spoken about it. In fact, Sonny couldn't remember the last time he'd talked to Jake's mother except in passing.

He punched in the security code, noting that it had been armed when he'd arrived. Maybe it was a vagrant who tripped it—maybe the security code had failed after all these years—

And maybe it had been a technical glitch on Spinelli's end.

But the hairs on the back of Sonny's neck lifted as he pushed the door open and found the light on by the sofa, a duffel bag next to the table.

Someone was here—someone who knew about this house and how to get in.

Something that less than five people on the planet should have known.

Sonny closed the door behind him, then walked over to the kitchen. It was dark and empty. He turned back at the creak of the stairs. He slid the gun from the holster inside his jacket and held it low.

"Who's there?" he demanded.

Then a man turned the corner of the stairwell and came down to the first landing, where it wrapped around to meet the first floor. As he came into the light of the living room, Sonny stared into the eyes of a ghost.


	5. Chapter Four

_Clutching my cure_  
 _I tightly lock the door_  
 _I try to catch my breath again_  
 _I hurt much more than any time before_  
 _I have no options left again_  
 _I don't want to be the one the battles always choose_  
 _'Cause inside I realize that I'm the one confused_  
\- Breaking the Habit, Linkin Park

* * *

_Tuesday, September 23, 2008_

**Queen's Point, Port Charles**

Elizabeth furrowed her brows as Jason pulled the SUV into the driveway of a house that was half a mile from where she and the boys lived on Lexington Avenue. He'd picked her up from the house, asking her to come to see something.

It was a just house, not all that different from her own with a slightly larger yard.

"I feel like I'm missing something," she murmured, looking at him. Unless—a few days ago, they'd turned a corner in their relationship and seemed to be on their way back to where they'd been that spring—when he'd asked her to marry him, and for five entire minutes, her world had been perfect.

And then it had shattered with a bullet and a phone call.

Was Jason trying to plan for a new future? Did he want them to live here together?

"When we come back from Italy," he said—she grinned at him, loving the way that sounded. They were _finally_ going to Italy! "I wanted to put some new security into place."

"Okay," she drawled. "And this house is part of it?"

"It's a start," he told her. He stepped out of the car. "Come on—"

"I guess we're not even pretending we don't know each other anymore," she said as he came around the side of the SUV to take her hand and draw her towards the stairs leading up to a wrap-around porch.

"People might not know about Jake," Jason replied, "but they probably have some thoughts about us."

"Oh, yeah?" Elizabeth arched a brow, watching him slide a key into the lock of the front door. "Even after all those tabloid reports about you and Claudia Zacchara?"

He winced. "Don't remind me."

"Mmm-hmm." She smirked and strolled past him in the living room. The stairwell was against the far wall, curling around a landing to the second floor. A door to the kitchen was on the far right. "It's…furnished."

"For now. I told Spinelli to put stuff in here." He scratched his temple, watching her turn in a circle. "You don't like it."

"I don't—" She hesitated. "What's it for? I _have_ a house. One I like."

"I know. And I like it, too," he added. "But I wanted a safe house that wasn't too far away. If you needed to leave quickly—there'd be a place to go in the neighborhood."

"I thought most of your safe houses were outside of town." She folded her arms. "Why—"

"Harborview is almost thirty minutes away," Jason said. "You—you moved into this neighborhood before—" He winced. "Not that you can't do what you want—but if I just—I need you and the boys to have somewhere safe to go if I can't get to you."

"And a place in the neighborhood makes you feel better," she said slowly. So it wasn't something he'd wanted for them to start a new life together. She turned away, stared at the fireplace next to the stairs. When they came home from Italy—

"Elizabeth?"

"No, it's a good idea. And you know more about this stuff than I do," she added. She forced a smile on her face and turned back to look at him. "Do you need me to do anything?"

"When we get back from Italy," Jason said, tilting his head, "things _are_ going to change, Elizabeth. I promised you. No more running. No more being afraid. I like the house you have now. The boys like it, too. A safe house nearby is something we'll need even when we're living together."

"Oh." She exhaled a rush of air. "I didn't—I'm sorry. I don't know why I do that—"

"Maybe because I asked you to marry me," he said quietly, "promised I wouldn't take it back or change my mind, and then I did."

"I understood," she murmured.

"I know. But it doesn't change the fact that I made a mistake." He tucked her hair behind her ear, his fingers drifting down her cheek. "I just want us to make these kinds of security decisions together. They affect you, Jake, and Cam. You need to know where this place is and, once the security is put in, how to get here. I might not always be with you, so you need to know how to keep them safe."

"Right." She leaned up to press her mouth to his, sinking in, thinking of the brightness of their future, the promise in it. "So, is this…did you buy it?"

"I did," he murmured against her lips, his breath tingling on her skin. "Why?"

"Well, you know I like to test the shower pressure at the safe houses." She grinned as he lifted her in his arms. "And hey, at least Carly doesn't know where we are."

"Oh, man," Jason groaned as he carried her towards the stairs. "Don't bring up Carly right now." Elizabeth just laughed, then tightened her arms around his neck. When they came back from Italy—everything would be different.

_Friday, October 27, 2017_

**Safe House: Living Room**

Only Jason, Elizabeth, Spinelli, and Sonny knew about this house and had the security code to get in, and Jason trusted that Spinelli would still be monitoring it, even though it had been nearly ten years since they'd installed it.

Spinelli was reliable that way.

He was so damn glad that Sonny had remembered that and come alone.

Sonny stood across the room, his gun clutched in his hands, the barrel lowered slightly as his eyes widened, and he took a step towards Jason. "What—" His voice faltered as he took another step. "What's going on—"

"It's me," Jason said roughly, his hands at his side, careful to keep them in Sonny's view. "I know it doesn't make sense—"

"No, it—" Sonny swallowed hard, closed his eyes. "It _can't_ be."

"I don't know how it happened," Jason said quickly. "Or what's going on—who's behind it—but I swear, Sonny—it's me. It's _Jason_ —"

"Shut—" Sonny set the gun aside on a table, dragged his hands through his hair. "You don't—You don't have to—" And then he was striding forward, catching Jason in a tight hug. "You think I don't _know_ you?"

Jason hugged Sonny back, relaxing for the first time in days. He was okay. He could believe that now. His son was alive, and he didn't understand how another man was pretending to be him—but Sonny believed him. _Sonny knew him_.

"Where—What—" Sonny took a deep breath, stepped back, exhaled in a rush. "I can't—I can't wrap my head around this," he admitted. He sat down on the sofa, staring at Jason. "Let's just—let's start at the beginning. Where have you _been_ for the last five years?"

"I don't know about all of the years," Jason said. He perched on the arm of a chair. "I just know that I woke up maybe six months ago at a clinic in Russia. I couldn't—I couldn't move at first. I was drugged, and it took some time to get—" He paused, thinking of those long weeks, those dark days when he'd fought just to lift his finger from the wheelchair. He'd been trapped, locked inside his body, _screaming_ to get out—

"I could finally move about a month ago, but I didn't have a way out," Jason continued. "Until an American woman came to the clinic. She—she's from Port Charles—"

"Wait—" Sonny got to his feet, holding a hand up. "Russia? Ava Jerome? Is _that_ the name of the woman?"

"Yes," Jason said with a nod. "Ava. She was there to get her scars fixed. She helped me escape."

"I'll bet she couldn't wait to help you," Sonny muttered. "As soon as you told her who you were—"

"I never told her my name," Jason said, frowning. Ava hadn't been kidding when she'd mentioned Sonny wasn't her biggest fan.. "She helped me escape, and I got out of Russia. Sonny—"

"Then she saw a picture of you, realized who you must have been," Sonny bit out. "Ava doesn't do _anything_ without a reason."

Jason pressed his lips together but nodded. He knew what Ava had risked to help him, but it could wait. There were other questions to answer. "Okay. Well, I don't know. I just—I came home. Or tried to," he said quietly. "I went to the penthouse. But I saw—Sam with—"

"Oh, shit—" Sonny dragged the back of his hand over his mouth. "There's—this guy—who showed up with amnesia a few years ago. A car accident messed up his face, killed his memories." He squinted. "But then we did DNA tests. And they—they said it was _you_."

Jason spread his hands out at his side. "He's not. He's _pretending_ —"

"I—" Sonny paused. "I don't know about that. He's not—" He shook his head. "I don't know how he fits in. But I don't know if _he's_ the bad guy. You escaped from the clinic. Was anyone following you—"

"I think I lost them after New York City, but they have to know I'm coming here," Jason told him. He waited a minute, but he couldn't stop himself. He had to know. "Sonny, I saw Elizabeth in the park. With—" His chest squeezed. "With her boys. All _three_ of them."

"Oh, man—" Sonny dipped his head. "It was _wild_ ," he admitted. "Getting Jake. He's—he's alive," he confirmed. "Been back about two years. It's—it's been rough, and Elizabeth's been through a lot with him. Did she see you?"

"No. Jake did, but I—" Jason was still trying to process past Sonny's statement.

_He's alive._

Jason had seen Jake in the park, had seen the lack of the grave, and had listened to Ava—but still, hearing it from Sonny—it made it _real_ in a way he hadn't expected. "What happened? Ava said—" Sonny's mouth twisted at her name. "I went to the cemetery to see—she was there—Never mind her." He couldn't bring himself to say it. "She said the Cassadines were involved."

"Yeah, Helena said it was some kind of revenge against Luke," Sonny said. "I don't know. It never made much sense to me, but Elizabeth got him back and that was what mattered." He hesitated. "You said Ava was at the cemetery?"

"She was there visiting Morgan," Jason confessed, and Sonny exhaled slowly. "I'm sorry. I'm _so_ sorry."

"A whole year," Sonny murmured, "and it still cuts like a knife." He closed his eyes, and Jason waited for his friend to gather himself. "There'll be time for all of that. For getting caught up. For finding out what the hell happened, but, right now—" He met Jason's eyes. "We need to get you back to your life, to your family, but if you _are_ being tracked from Russia—it might not be safe for you just to pop up. We need—" He rubbed the back of his neck. "We need _information_ ," he muttered. "We need Spinelli. I have to—I have to get him here."

"Sonny—"

"You're safe here," Sonny told him. "You were right to come here. Only you and I—and Spinelli—know about this place. Did you ever tell Elizabeth?"

"Yes," Jason said. "But—"

"That's okay. She can be trusted. Good, good. You can stay here. Rest. I'll get you supplies. We'll get Spinelli into town, put him to work. We don't know who we can trust," Sonny said. "But as soon as it's safe, we'll—" He sat back down. "I don't know," he said. "Do I just—tell Carly? Take you home to her? To Michael?" He looked at Jason. "What do _you_ want to do?"

"I don't want anyone coming after the people I care about," Jason said after a minute. "They might know I'm here already. We need a way to know. We need information." And that meant waiting on Spinelli, who was apparently not in town anymore. So much had happened. "Ava said there was a party tonight. At the hotel. That—that the other me and Sam were throwing it."

"Yeah, he bought a _media_ company," Sonny said with a twist in his expression. "And Carly hit the roof. He wanted to sell out his part of the warehouse, leave the business. Carly thought he was acting insane—" He grinned. "She wants to call Luke to see if Helena put the whammy on you or something since—" The humor vanished from his face.

"Sonny?"

"Because Helena was involved in your disappearance. Or at least involved with the other guy. The Cassadines," he muttered. He shoved himself to his feet. "We need—we need more information," he repeated. "I need to understand them better. Tomorrow. Tomorrow, I'll call Luke. And—" He looked at Jason. "We should call Elizabeth."

Confused, Jason stood. "Sonny?"

"The Cassadines," Sonny repeated, "were involved with your disappearance. _And_ with Jake. Not to mention Robin."

"Robin?" Jason asked blankly. "She died in an explosion—"

"She's not—" Sonny paused. "She's not dead."

Stunned—not sure how much more he could take in today, Jason just stared at Sonny. Jake and Robin, neither of them were dead? How—

"And there's more—with Jake and the Cassadines. Luke would know the current state of that crap. And Elizabeth—you're gonna want to get the Jake stuff from her." Sonny nodded. "She knew. She and Carly both _knew_ this was wrong," he murmured. "Should have listened."

"Okay," Jason said. He put the Robin information away for the minute. He'd sort it out. It was good news. Nearly as good as Jake's survival. And Sonny's plan did make sense. Lay low for the night, figure things out—and maybe—maybe Elizabeth would believe him the way Sonny had. And she could talk to him about Jake. About their son who was _alive_. He wanted to know _everything_. "But this party—"

" _I_ need to be there. I have to meet Carly," Sonny told him. "And we need—we need to pretend everything is normal," he added. "So—stay here. I'll come by after the party or in the morning." He stared at Jason, then hugged him again. "Thank God you're alive. That you're home." He drew back, held Jason's face in his hands, his dark eyes intense. "We're going to find out who stole the last five years from you, and we're gonna make them _pay_."

**Morgan Penthouse: Nursery**

Sam gently laid her daughter in her crib and smiled down at her sweet face. Sometimes when she looked at Scout, she wondered if this is how her first child would have looked if she'd had the chance to take a breath. If she would have looked like Sam or Sonny, or someone else in the family entirely.

Danny had been her miracle, but Scout was her second chance to do everything right from the beginning. She and Jason had learned about the pregnancy together, her father had never been in doubt, and even though her birth hadn't been ideal—Scout had been healthy every day of her life.

And Scout was proof that Jason loved Sam, that Jason _wanted_ a family with her. Everything she'd always feared—

"Sam?"

She looked up to see her husband leaning against the doorway. "Hey. Where's Danny?"

"I left him downstairs with your mother," Jason told her as he crossed the room to join her at the crib. "Danny has his iPad, and I think he's trying to talk her into making his Christmas list early."

"Mom's a pushover," Sam murmured. "I'll have to make sure she doesn't go overboard." She pressed a hand against her stomach. "I'm nervous about tonight," she admitted. She met his eyes. "I know we're doing the right thing, but I keep thinking that Carly—I mean, she's right." She sighed, folded her arms. "What _do_ we know about running a company?"

"Nothing," Jason admitted with a chagrined smile. "But we'll hire a really good CFO, and we'll learn. The company basically runs itself as it is. Julian's been in prison for almost a year already, and it ran without him. We don't have to have all the answers the first day."

"I guess." Sam smiled. "You're right. This is our chance to start over. It's scary," she continued, "but it's the right kind of scary." She laced her fingers through his. "And we'll be doing it together. That's all that really matters."

**Webber House: Master Bedroom**

Elizabeth fastened a bracelet around her wrist and checked her makeup in the mirror one more time, wincing when she realized her eyeliner had smudged. She sat back down at the vanity and reached for a cotton swab.

The phone on her night table rang just as Elizabeth finished fixing it. She answered without checking the identification screen. "Hello?"

"I thought you would have called me by now."

She grimaced at the sound of Franco's voice—which probably wasn't the right reaction—then sighed. "Why? You left me a message that you'd be at the studio tonight. What else did we need to talk about?"

"Well," Franco said after a minute, "I thought you'd want to apologize."

She stared at herself in the mirror, letting his words sink in, reverberate in her brain.

And in them, she heard of the echoes of another man.

Of Lucky Spencer who had always demanded apologies, insisted that she admit that she'd been in the wrong, and that _she_ was the problem in their relationship—

"I would," Elizabeth said, "if I had anything to apologize for. _You_ might consider apologizing to _me_."

"Elizabeth—"

"I really don't want to get into this over the phone," she said, scowling at her own reflection.

"If this is about what I said about needing to have Jason in reserve, I just—I lost my temper for a minute and said something stupid. I don't know _why_ you have to hold it over my head like I meant to hurt you—"

She sighed, rubbed the side of her cheek. "No, I don't think you meant to hurt me." And if she'd felt stung by an offhand remark like that, imagine what Franco could do if he really _wanted_ to hurt her. "Look, I don't even know why you got an attitude earlier. Cameron wanted to have friends over, and if I'm not home, some of the parents are uncomfortable when you're here. I didn't know that's why he wanted you to stay away tonight, but I think, under the circumstances—"

"So you're not even going to stand up for me?" Franco demanded. "What about believing in me?"

"It's not _my_ job to convince other people," she snapped, her temples beginning to throb. "Come on—"

"How about making sure your kids can't be little jerks—" He broke off in mid-sentence. "I didn't mean that—"

"You're saying _a lot_ of things you don't mean today," she retorted, glaring at herself in the mirror. How the hell had _this_ become her life? And was she really going to let him keep getting away with it? "You know, if you're trying to punish me for wanting to tell Jason about his brother, then insulting me and my kids is a good place to start. I'm starting to remember why I didn't like you even _after_ the tumor was out."

"Elizabeth—"

"I'm going to the party. Don't call me again tonight. And in fact, maybe you should just stay at your studio for a few days. I don't really want to see your face right now."

**Safe House: Living Room**

Jason switched on the television, relieved to see it got basic cable. Sonny had said the party tonight would be on the news, and he wanted to get a handle on things. He wanted to be in the middle of things.

He didn't like the idea of just sitting still, even though it made the most sense. Even now, he was pacing in front of the television, the local station barely audible in the background.

Sonny might think the guy running around with Jason's identity wasn't the bad guy, but he had to be, didn't he? He was living Jason's life, raising his son, married to Jason's wife under _his_ name. And if he was in the middle of all this, wouldn't the doctors in the clinic have told the impostor that Jason had escaped?

What if someone got hurt—

Jason saw the party coverage begin, recognizing the entrance to the lobby set up with a red carpet. One of the hosts said something about usually pulling this out for the Nurse's Ball, and Jason just scowled at the television. He wanted to see the man who was pretending to be him—wanted to see how anyone could have believed for a _minute_ —

He watched as people he didn't know were interviewed on the carpet, then smiled faintly when Maxie sauntered in on the arm of a tall, dark-haired man. He'd never liked Maxie much, but she'd been one of Spinelli's people.

He'd never thought he'd miss Spinelli, but he'd kill to see the hacker sitting next to him, slurping orange soda and speaking gibberish, calling him Stone Cold.

He saw Elizabeth walk in, dressed in a dark red dress, with her brown hair piled on the top of her head, pieces falling down her neck. She'd changed since he'd seen her earlier in the park and put on makeup. Elizabeth ducked around the correspondent and disappeared almost as quickly as she'd arrived. He couldn't wait to talk to her about Jake—to learn everything he'd missed—

Then Sam walked in with the man Jason had seen that day at the penthouse. She was glowing with happiness, practically bouncing towards the reporter. Her hair hung loose down her back, her eyes heavily lined—Jason could see them sparkling as she looked towards the man at her side. The blonde-haired man with blue eyes and a quick smile.

He didn't even _look_ like him.

"The couple of the hour!" the reporter exclaimed. "Jason Morgan! I know how much you hate the media, but maybe you'd give us something to look forward to. A hint of the rebranding?"

The man she called Jason turned towards her, then his smile deepened. "This is a chance for a new start," he told her, then made contact with the camera—with the viewer at home. "For me and Sam, our family—our children. The old Jason Morgan is gone for good."

Jason scowled, then stalked over to his jacket. He took out the white card Ava had given him earlier. She was going to the party, wasn't she? Sonny would never help him, but Ava might.

He couldn't sit home and wait. Not when his family was in danger.

**Greystone: Living Room**

"You know, at some point," Sonny called up the stairs with a scowl, "you're just being petty!"

"I am _not_ petty!" Carly's voice floated down the steps. "And if you leave for this party without me, Sonny Corinthos—"

Joss tied the lace on her sneaker, then looked over at Sonny, standing at the bottom of the steps, his scowl only deepening. "Hey, Uncle Sonny?"

"What's up?" he asked, crossing to the sofa. "You sure you'll be okay at Cameron's?"

"Yeah, yeah. That's fine. Cam made sure Franco won't be there, so Oscar and Trina are allowed over. I'm, like, the _only_ friend the Webber boys can have over with him there," Joss explained to Michael who was frowning. "Mostly because Mom almost married him—"

"We try really hard not to speak of that time," Carly muttered, overhearing the last part of her daughter's statement. "I had a year long psychotic break."

"Only way to explain it," Michael said easily. "Especially since you didn't even break up with him. _He_ left _you_."

Carly made a face at her son. "You're really in a mood today, aren't you?"

"Actually—" Joss bit her lip. "This is _probably_ a bad time to bring this up, but something weird happened in the park earlier. I mean, to Cameron and his brothers," she added when Carly straightened, her brow creasing in concern. "They were with his mom, and Jake went off on his own for a minute and said he saw a guy who looked like Uncle Jason. Before the car accident."

Carly stared at Joss for a long moment before turning to Sonny, her eyes widening. Sonny dipped his head.

"Cam said his mom took Jake to the hospital to see Dr. Maddox, and they all agreed that Jake just saw someone he thought looked like him," Joss said, "but Cam said his mom was acting weird, and he thinks maybe Jake might be sick again." She twisted her fingers together. "I thought—I don't know—I figured it was something we should _all_ know since—"

"Since we had to be evacuated last year when the Chimera was activated," Michael said. He exhaled slowly. "Well, it sounds like Elizabeth has it under control, but Dad—"

"I'll talk to her tonight at the party," Sonny said quickly. "Make sure she's got what she needs. I'm sure she'll—" He paused. "She'll probably wait until tomorrow to tell Jason."

Joss frowned at him because something in Sonny's voice sounded weird, but her mother was folding her arms.

"That's _Jason's_ son," Carly snapped. "She shouldn't hold stuff back—"

"Elizabeth might not understand this whole—" Sonny waved his hand. " _New leaf_ thing Jason is doing, but she's not going to actively sabotage him either. It can wait, Carly. _Don't_ bring it up."

"If she tries to shut him out of Jake's life," Carly threatened.

"Oh my God, is _everything_ a fight with you?" Joss demanded. "I know you don't like her, but this is so annoying, Mom! I just thought you guys should know. Next time I'll keep my mouth shut—"

She grabbed her purse and stalked out of the room. Michael winced when the front door slammed. "I better go grab her before she walks all the way to Cam's house," he told his parents. "Look—Mom—"

"Fine, I won't say anything!" Carly said, throwing up her hands. "Why am I _always_ the bad guy?"

"I'll see you at the party," Michael told them before leaving. Sonny turned to Carly, his brows lifted.

"I said I wouldn't say anything," Carly repeated, her teeth clenched.

"I'll talk to Elizabeth," Sonny said. "And offer to help. It's probably nothing."

"But if it's something—"

"I promise I will make sure Jason is a part of it."

**Metro Court: Service Stairwell**

Jason turned to Ava at the top of the stairs. "So, how do I get to the roof from here?" he asked.

"You have to take the elevator on this floor," Ava told him, folding her arms. "It's the only roof access. There's a skylight that looks over the ballroom." She paused. "I told you I'm happy to help, but at some point, you're going to have to tell me your name."

Jason frowned at her— "You don't recognize me?" he said finally, unsure what to think about Sonny's accusation about her using him for some reason. Was he right?

"Should I?" Ava said with a sour tone. She scrunched up her face, peering at him. "I mean, now that you're _forcing_ me to think about it, I guess you look sort of familiar, but I don't know why—" She arched her brows skeptically. "Are you going to tell me or not?"

"Not tonight," Jason told her. "But it's not because—" He paused. "The men from the clinic—they might still be following me. I probably shouldn't have called you, but—"

"No, no, I understand." Ava touched her face. "I was fortunate to get out of the clinic myself, so—" She shrugged. "Keep your secrets, Patient Six."

She turned back to go down the stairs, the way they'd come, and Jason grabbed her elbow. "I thought you said you were going to the party tonight." He jerked a thumb over his shoulder. "It's on this floor, isn't it?"

"I—" Ava sighed, looked down the stairs. "My invitation was issued in error," she murmured. "I used to be a shareholder in Wells Publishing." Her smile was thin. "I'm not very popular in town these days." She gestured at her face. "And it's for the best. I'm not particularly camera ready. Good luck, Six."

With a wave of her hand, she went back down the stairs, and Jason went into the hotel proper, tugging his baseball cap back over his head to head straight for the elevators. Just as he reached them, they slid open—

Jason started to turn away, to block his face from the man who stepped out—and then he caught a glimpse of the man as he strode towards the ballroom doors.

The profile of his face—

No. It couldn't—it wasn't _possible_ —

Rage coursed through Jason's body as he watched the man reach for the handle — "Franco," he said, flatly, his voice carrying in the empty area.

The man turned around, and Jason saw his full face.

Robert Frank. Franco. The man who had terrorized Sam and Michael, who'd nearly killed Lulu and Maxie, kidnapped Elizabeth's son—

"Who the—" Franco's eyes bulged as Jason leaped forward, wrapped his hands around Franco's throat, determined to choke the life from this monster for good this time.

**Metro Court: Ballroom**

Sonny joined Elizabeth at the bar, lifting his tumbler of bourbon to her in a half-hearted salute. "What are you drinking tonight?"

"Chardonnay," Elizabeth said with a sigh, "but I don't think it's strong enough." She turned towards the front of the room, where the stage had been set up, and a podium was waiting. "I keep thinking this is a joke," she murmured.

"You and Carly are on the same page," Sonny told her, and Elizabeth grimaced. "Yeah, she's not wild about it either, but at the end of the day, _we_ know Jason best. And this—" He cast his dark eyes over the stage. "Doesn't fit the man we used to know."

"No." Elizabeth leaned against the bar and watched as Jason leaned over to kiss Monica's cheek and shook the hand of someone else. "He's so…friendly," she said, almost with some distaste. "In a _crowd_."

Sonny smirked, sipped his bourbon. "It _is_ a sight to see," he said. He paused. "Uh, Joss mentioned something about the park—"

Elizabeth winced. "Oh, man, I guess I'm not surprised—" She stared down into her wine. "I'm sure Cam and Joss are worried that Jake is—that it's like last year."

"You're not?" Sonny asked, his brows lifting in curiosity. "Jake sees someone who looks like the man we used to know, and you're not concerned?"

"Not about Jake. I—" Elizabeth sighed. "I _think_ I know who it might have been," she confessed. "I promised someone I wouldn't say anything," she continued, "but I'm not in the mood to keep that promise."

Sonny turned to face her more fully, engaged now. "Really? What are you thinking?"

"I—" She hesitated. "I don't think we should get into it here," she said.

"No, no—" Sonny rubbed his temple. "You—you busy tomorrow? I have something I needed to run by you anyway. Can we—"

They were distracted by the sounds of shouting from outside the ballroom. "What—" Elizabeth began.

Then the doors were shoved open, and two men all but threw themselves through them—one of the men shoving the other to the ground and wrapping his hands around the man's neck—the man on the ground knocked the man's baseball cap off, revealing dark blonde spikes that looked eerily familiar.

The room exploded in sounds, but the world around Elizabeth disappeared as she watched a man who sure as _hell_ looked like Jason Morgan try to kill Franco Baldwin.


	6. Chapter Five

_You've got to get yourself together_  
 _You've got stuck in a moment_  
 _And now you can't get out of it_  
 _Oh love, look at you now_  
 _You've got yourself stuck in a moment_  
 _And now you can't get out of it_  
\- Stuck in a Moment, U2

* * *

_April 2012_

**Crichton Clark Labs: Office**

Victor took a seat across from Andre and flipped open his portfolio. "How are you settling in here?"

"As well as can be expected," Andre said as he reached for a folder. "I'm getting up to speed with some of the projects you've implemented using my protocol." He paused. "There are a few patients that I've been told are outside of my purview. I thought that all of the patients here were part of the program—"

"We have some long-term residents," Victor said smoothly. "The daughter of an old friend has been in a coma for some time, and I'm…" His lips twitched. "I'm holding on to someone for a family member. You know how family can be."

Andre knew enough about the Cassadine family to understand that whatever favor Victor was doing was likely illegal and possibly downright evil, so he put that aside. "Fair enough, I'll take my lead from you on that. I noticed your numbering system — you have a Patient Four. That suggests there were three other patients before him? Are they in another location?"

"The experiments with memory," Victor said, carefully, "predate your protocol. Patient 1 was a set of twins a few decades ago—part of another organization. We've been using our records and what we learned from them—I'll see that you get a copy of their files." He hesitated. "Patient 2 was a teenaged boy brought to us some time ago. He's also not part of the experiment at the moment, but I imagine that might change."

"And Patient 3?"

"Patient 3 is part of the overall experiment, but he will not be someone you are involved with. He's under Dr. Obrecht's care."

"Ah." Andre's lips thinned, then he sat back. "Dr. Obrecht."

"You've met her?"

"We've come into contact over the years. She's, ah, interesting." He scratched his cheek. "I saw her name on Patient 4's files. That's why I wanted to meet with you."

"Are you displeased with Patient Four?"

"Not displeased. Concerned." Andre opened the folder and slid something across the table. "This is an MRI scan taken on him last week. He's been in the program since when, January?"

"Hmm, yes, he was brought to us January 15, and we implemented your protocol to map his memories in February." Victor squinted at the scan. "What precisely am I looking at?"

"Here is the MRI scan from late in January—so clearly, when he arrived." Andre slid another scan. Victor picked it up, and even an untrained eye could see the difference.

"Ah, well, that mass in the frontal lobe is quite different."

"It's a tumor. I'm ordering a biopsy so we can learn whether or not it's malignant or benign. Still, a tumor of this size—I think it was caused by how Dr. Obrecht handled the mapping. That concerns me because you've told me you've arranged for my first test subjects."

"Yes, yes. A pair of twins. Male. Age—" Victor checked the portfolio. "Aged thirty-eight, though they may be thirty-nine by the time we arrange delivery. We're hoping to get them in July, but we must extract them from their everyday lives without being noticed. Or at least without their disappearance being traced back to us."

"You said one was a Navy Seal from San Diego, and the other—" Andre squinted at the profile. "A mob enforcer," he said slowly. "Really?" He tilted his head. "What makes them suitable for this project?"

"They're twins who were separated at birth. To the best of my knowledge, they don't know the other exists. They live entirely separate lives," Victor said, "but there are some extraordinary personality similarities based on my research. Despite the life of crime by our mob enforcer, he is apparently a well-respected member of his community, known for his loyalty and honesty."

"That—" Andre blinked. "How is that possible?" He shook his head. "Never mind. I'll do better if we just keep the personal stuff out of it. So Patient Five—the Navy Seal—and Patient Six—the gangster—I'm concerned that my protocol might create brain tumors. If I can't learn what happened—"

"Well," Victor sighed, "I'll admit that we began with your protocol, but we had a different goal for Patient Four, so Liesl had to…improvise."

"How? What was the goal? Victor, you told me that I was in charge—"

"And you are. As of today, Patient Four is entirely under your control." He was quiet for a moment. "I told you we were interested in using your protocol as a witness interrogation technique, so we mapped his memories so that we could explore them—but we attempted to remove those memories from Patient Four so that he could not tell anyone what we were looking for."

"Erase them? Why does it matter—"

"He had knowledge of Patient Five as a child," Victor explained. "I intend to release him back into the wild at some point, but I couldn't be sure he wouldn't tell anyone. He didn't the last time he had the opportunity, but these types of sociopaths—you can never tell."

"What kind of knowledge?" Andre asked. "How could it be a problem—"

"He and Five were fosters brothers for a time before they were separated," Victor said. "He tracked down Six thinking that it was his long-lost brother. When he realized it was a twin, he…was quite angry and set about destroying Six's life. I thought it best if we just—removed any memory of why he became obsessed with Jas—With Six," he corrected smoothly. "Are you determined to continue with this number nonsense?"

"What you want me to do, Victor," Andre told him, "is outside of medical ethics. You and I both know what we're planning with these twins—it's wrong. It's for the greater good, but I know what I'm doing. And I know there's a possibility we will fail. If I treat these patients like numbers, I can keep myself away from it. You might not need that barrier, but I do."

"Fair enough. A conscience can be _terribly_ inconvenient." Victor closed his portfolio and got to his feet. "What do you intend to do with Four?"

"I'll keep running tests, look at the files—see if we can reverse the tumor." Andre sighed. "But I think it might be best if Liesl Obrecht was taken off this project."

"Not a problem. I have some other things she can do, and she may be needed back in Greece to work with Three." He put up a hand. "Three is part of the program, but not the experiment. I promise, if that changes, I will make you privy to it."

Unsure and unsettled, but with little choice, Andre nodded. "You do that. And let me know when Five and Six are en route. I'm eager to get started."

_Friday, October 27, 2017_

**Metro Court Hotel: Ball Room**

Valentin sipped his champagne, trying to keep his teeth from baring as Nina talked with Nelle Benson, her assistant. He kept one ear on their conversation, already bored by their reminiscing of their trip to Morocco earlier that week, and another on the crowd.

Andre Maddox had warned him that little Jake Webber had seen someone in the park that was probably the missing Russian patient, and Valentin was sure that once Jason Morgan learned of the man walking around town with his face, he'd come looking for him.

Valentin intended to find Jason first, to return him to Russia where he could be put back to sleep until Valentin needed him—if that day ever came. If Jason Morgan came face to face with Drew Cain—

How long would Valentin be able to hide his own involvement in the whole scheme?

"Valentin," Nina began with a wide smile on her face. "Nelle was just saying—"

He never did learn what Nelle had been saying. Instead, as Valentin turned to look at his wife and the redhead, he caught sight of someone in the crowd who should have been meeting him at his office in the morning.

Dr. Richard Klein.

He growled, startling Nina who stopped speaking in mid-sentence.

" _What_ is your issue tonight?" she demanded, planting a hand on her hip as Nelle grimaced and melted into the crowd, away from them.

Before Valentin could go after the doctor and find out why he was at the hotel, the doors to the ballroom burst open and two men rolled through, grappling and attacking one another each other, each fighting to choke the life from the other—

The room exploded into chaos as someone screamed and glass shattered. One of the men was wearing a baseball cap that came loose, and Valentin swore.

"Oh my God!" Carly Corinthos yelped as she shoved forward. Other men pushed past her—Sonny Corinthos, Dante Falconieri, and Nathan West—they waded into the fight, dragging the men apart.

Sonny grabbed Jason by the elbow while Dante and Nathan jerked Franco off the ground as Valentin's heart pounded erratically. He swept his eyes over the crowd, taking in the shocked and stunned expressions of people as they looked at the face of a man who wasn't supposed to exist.

Near the podium, where Drew Cain and Sam had been about to begin the evening, Valentin saw Drew staring across the room, his jaw clenched while Sam's face had lost all its color.

"I want to press charges!" Franco was saying to the officers who held him back. "He _attacked_ me!"

"Jason?" Carly whispered, touching the shoulder of the man Sonny was holding back. Near her, Michael had joined them and by Sonny, Valentin saw his mother's old enemy, Elizabeth Webber. whose face was carefully blank.

She was more intelligent than his mother had ever given her credit for, Valentin knew, and it was likely she was already reaching the conclusion that her son had seen _Jason_ in the park.

"Arrest him!"

"What the _hell_ is going on here?" Drew said, finally finding his voice and pushing through the crowd. "Who the hell are _you_?" he demanded of the man who wore his old face. Valentin hissed, seeing Klein slip out of the crowd, towards the door.

He took off after him, leaving Nina without a second thought.

**Webber House: Living Room**

"Okay, so then when she's not looking," Trina said to Aiden patiently, "you put the blue hair dye in her shampoo—"

"But how do I _get_ to her shampoo?" Aiden asked, furrowing his brows.

"Is that how you did it?" Joss demanded. "In my shampoo?" She wrinkled her face and picked up her phone to swipe through her Instagram feed. "I wondered. I thought you'd put it in my hair spray."

Trina smirked. "Well, yeah, I put it there, too. Just to be sure." She turned back to Aiden. "The next time you get dragged over for a party—"

"Whoa—" Joss turned towards Cameron, her eyes wide with shock. "Something just happened at the hotel—"

"What—" Cameron began leaning towards her even as he reached for his own phone. "Oscar—"

"Loading Twitter now—"

"I'll check Facebook," Trina volunteered. "That's where all the old people post—"

"Yo, someone punched your mom's boyfriend," Oscar reported. "Look at #serialkillerdown, there are pictures—"

"No, I found a Facebook Live," Trina said. Then she frowned. "Wait a second—" They all crowded around Trina's phone while Joss tried to pull up the same feed on her iPad. " _Dude_ —"

"I _know_ that face," Cameron said. He exchanged a look with Joss. "How—"

" _That's_ the guy I saw today!" Jake said, pointing at the screen. "Wait, what are they saying?"

Oscar was staring at his phone, his face oddly still. "You guys know him?"

"Um, I don't know if we _know_ him," Joss said, "but—"

"Shh—" Trina said, waving her hand. "They're saying stuff—"

"How is this possible?" Carly demanded.

"Who the hell are you?" came the voice of someone off screen, someone Cam recognized as Jason—the one who had lived with them as Jake Doe, but—

_That_ was also Jason right there. Next to Joss's stepdad and his mom. His mom was staring at the new guy with the old face like she'd seen a ghost. Thinking about Jake—maybe she had.

"I want him arrested!"

"There he is," Aiden muttered. "I was hoping he'd been knocked out." Jake sent him a sour look, but his younger brother put his face in his hand, glumly. "Maybe if Mr. Sonny lets the guy with Jake's dad's old face go—"

"There's the commissioner," Joss said, making a face. "And oh— _damn_ —" Just like that, the feed went dead as Jordan Ashford took the phone from whoever was streaming the event. "I guess they're going to the PCPD." She looked at Oscar. "You okay?"

"Uh, yeah—" He shook his head. "No. No, actually, I'm not sure because the guy that you guys seem to know—" Oscar looked at his girlfriend. "Did Aiden say he has Jake's dad's face?"

"Yeah, before Jason came home officially, he was here for a year as Jake Doe," Joss explained. "He'd had an accident that screwed up his face and made him lose his memories. That guy with my Uncle Sonny—he looks just like Jason used to. And Jake saw him in the park earlier, right?" she said to the middle Webber boy.

"It's just—" Oscar took a deep breath. "It's just that he looks like _my_ dad."

Trina tilted her head. "Come again?"

"My dad. He disappeared while on a mission in Afghanistan. They, uh," Oscar dragged a hand through his hair, his voice trembling slightly. "They tried to tell me and my stepmom that he was AWOL, but she _knew_ it was bullshit."

Cameron leaned forward. "When did your dad go missing?"

"July 2012," Oscar said. "Why?"

"Because Jason— _our_ Jason—" he said, "went missing in October of 2012." Cameron looked down at a Twitter photo that had been posted of the scene at the hotel. "There's two men who had that face. One of them is Jake's dad—"

"The other must be yours," Trina said to Oscar. "But—which one?"

"Well, one of them tried to kill Franco on sight," Joss offered, "and the other one let him live these last couple of years, so maybe that's our answer."

**PCPD: Commissioner's Office**

When the crowd had first arrived at the PCPD, the commissioner had initially denied access to anyone who wasn't claiming to be Jason Morgan, but Franco had refused to stop screaming about pressing charges, and Carly had loudly proclaimed that _no one_ was keeping her away from Jason, and Sonny was calling lawyers —

So Jordan finally admitted both Jasons, Sam, Carly, Sonny, and because Franco wouldn't shut up—she brought him and Elizabeth back because she hoped Elizabeth might be able to control him. Elizabeth knew that was true because Jordan had said as much.

But Elizabeth didn't really know what to think, or how to process what was happening in front of her — the man she'd been told was Jason Morgan for the last two years, whom she'd known for the last three — was furiously _refusing_ to be in the same room as an impostor while the other man—the man with the face and eyes she'd loved since she was a teenager —

He just stood there next to Sonny, saying nothing except glaring daggers at Franco.

Though later Elizabeth would admit to herself that she'd known he was Jason from the moment she'd seen his face back at the hotel— it was _that_ difference, the way they held themselves while Jordan tried to get control of the chaos — that tipped the scales.

"Why isn't he in handcuffs?" Franco demanded, raising his voice over the man who wasn't Jason. He touched his throat. "He tried to _kill_ me—"

"That just shows good sense," Sonny muttered.

"I want to know what the hell is going on," Not-Jason demanded. He turned to Jason, his eyes burning. "Who the hell are you? Why the hell do you look like that?"

"I'm pressing charges—"

" _Franco, shut up_!" Elizabeth finally exploded, throwing her hands up in the air, the other voices dimming. She focused on him with a glare. "How can you possibly think _anyone_ in this room gives a damn about you right now? _Of course,_ Jason tried to kill you! The last time he saw you, you—" She closed her mouth, caught Not-Jason's eyes, which held of a mixture of bewilderment, anger, and confusion that melted into stunned betrayal as they both realized what she'd said.

She'd accepted the obvious truth in front of her. As had Sonny and Carly, who were standing with Jason, apart from Sam and the other man.

"He is _not_ Jason," he growled. "I am—"

"I'm sorry," Elizabeth said softly.

"Oh, great, _two_ of them," Franco said with a glower. "Just what the world needs—" He gestured at Sam. "One for _each_ of you—"

Elizabeth's cheeks flamed, and she hissed at him. "Shut up. For just five minutes. _Shut up_ —"

"Are you going to arrest him?" Franco demanded of Jordan, who just stared at him blandly. "He tried to kill me. There were _witnesses_ —"

"I highly doubt," Jordan said idly, "that anyone in that room would be willing to swear to that, Mr. Baldwin. And while I'll need to check with the DA to be sure, I can tell you that right now, no, I don't intend to arrest this man—" She cast her eyes over Jason. "Whoever he is."

Franco pressed his lips together, looked at Elizabeth. "And I suppose you're staying here?" he demanded.

"Yes," Elizabeth said, lifting her chin. "So you should go."

"Message received." Franco stalked from the room, and Elizabeth turned back to the others, catching Jason's eyes. He was frowning at her, and she knew that explaining why Robert Frank was now Franco Baldwin was a legally free, living man she was dating and Carly had nearly married —

That would have to wait.

"Now that Mr. Baldwin has left," Jordan said, leaning against her desk, folding her arms. "Perhaps our new Mr. Morgan—" she ignored Not-Jason's growl, "might explain who the hell he is and what's going on."

**Webber House: Living Room**

Cameron stepped back from the door to let Michael and Nelle in. "Hey, have fun at the party?" he said with a wry smile.

"Uh—" Michael scratched his temple and looked over the cluster of teenagers and kids he found in front of him. "I was just going to pick up Joss and the others, but I guess you already heard that something weird is going on."

"Oh, it gets weirder," Joss assured her brother. She sat on the arm of the sofa. "Because one of those guys is probably Oscar's dad who went missing in Afghanistan in July 2012."

Michael blinked, then stared at his sister's boyfriend, sitting next to Jake on the sofa, both of them staring at the photos of the event on Facebook. "What?"

"I thought Oscar was from California," Nelle said, squinting in confusion.

"I don't understand," Jake said. "How can they have the same face? Dad grew up here. And he _knows_ us. He knows me." He looked at Michael. "That's my dad. He has a new face, but he's my dad. Isn't he?"

Michael glanced at Nelle, who put up her hands as if to say this was all on him to fix. He turned back to his cousin. "Listen—"

"But then why would the other guy attack Franco?" Trina asked. "He seemed _really_ angry. And we know Jason has lots of reasons to hate that creepy bastard." She folded her arms. "This is really weird. Even for Port Charles."

"Where's my mommy?" Aiden asked. "Mommy will know. She always knows everything."

"She went to the PCPD," Michael said. "With my parents, with Sam, and, um—" He looked at Oscar. "What's your dad's name?"

"What?" Oscar blinked, then got to his feet. "Oh. His name is Andrew. Andrew Cain, but no one ever called him anything other than Drew."

"This has to be him, right?" Joss said. "One of them is Jason, and the other is Drew, right?"

"I mean, it'd be weird if someone _else_ with Jason's face went missing at the same time, so yeah—"

"You were in the room," Cameron said to Michael, cutting him off. He searched Michael's eyes. "Could—I mean, we can see from pictures, but—you saw them. You heard them talk—"

"I think—" Michael hesitated. "I think that I'm leaning one way," he admitted, "but I don't know. I really don't—"

"What about my mom?"

"He looked at me real weird," Jake said before Michael could answer. His voice was small as he stared at the photo. "In the park. Like he was really surprised to see me."

"Because he didn't know you were alive," Cameron realized. "He must have been listening to us and heard Mom call you Jake." He folded his arms. "But—"

"It might explain why the guy living here," Joss began, "just bought a media company. I mean, we all thought that was seriously weird. How much more evidence do we need?" She scrunched up her face. "We're going to need another word. Weird isn't covering it."

"We _have_ evidence," Jake insisted. "Mom said there were tests. DNA tests—"

"But if they were twins," Michael said, "those tests would match. Jake—" He passed through the others to sit next to his cousin. "Whatever the truth is, you know your dad loves you. So do your brothers. And your mom. This is _going_ to be okay."

"People keep saying that," Jake said, rubbing his eyes. "But I don't think so. Everyone thought I was crazy again, but I knew I wasn't." His voice faltered as he swallowed hard. "I wish I was. I don't wanna lose my dad."

"You won't—" Michael put a hand on Jake's shoulder. "Hey. You're okay. That's the most important thing. This other stuff—the adults will figure it out. There's no point in all of us freaking out until we know for sure what's going on."

"Michael's right," Cameron said. "You know Mom will come home, and she'll tell us everything she knows. We'll get to the bottom of all of this."

Trina pursed her lips as a text came over her phone. "Mom wants me to come home right now," she said. She looked at Michael. "I'm sorry, but when Dr. Rob—"

"No, I get it." Michael looked at Cameron. "I was gonna hang until your mom came home, but will you guys be okay?"

"Yeah." Cameron picked up his phone. "I found an Instagram Live of Franco getting punched, so I saved it on my phone. That'll keep us occupied until then."

"Really?" Michael raised his brows. "Why don't you send me that?"

"Copy me on it, too," Joss said.

"Hey, I still like Franco—" Jake was saying as Michael ushered Joss, Trina, Oscar, and Nelle out the door, closing the door as Aiden shot back, "That's because you lived with the Cassadines too long!"

**PCPD: Commissioner's Office**

This wasn't the way any of this was supposed to happen, and Jason didn't even know where to start. He hadn't expected to see Franco alive again, much less be _allowed_ to walk out of the PCPD without being arrested and thrown in a jail cell—and what the hell was his relationship with Elizabeth? Why had—

He had made a mistake. He should have laid low, should have stayed at the safe house, and waited for Sonny to bring Elizabeth to him tomorrow. Instead, he was in the middle of all of this, watching Sam stand on the other side of the room, her hand resting on the arm of the man who was pretending to be him, not even looking at him.

But maybe Sonny was right. Maybe this other guy _wasn't_ behind all of this. He'd seen the way Elizabeth had looked at him with regret even as she'd let it slip that she'd taken a side—had seen the other man's expression when Sonny and Carly had stood with _him_.

"I don't know a lot of what's going on," Jason said finally. "Because starting at the beginning for me isn't the beginning for anyone else," he added when the commissioner narrowed her eyes. "I was at the pier. I went to meet with Bernie, but he'd been—" His mouth tightened. "He'd been shot. And then—then someone shot me. I don't—I just—" He dipped his head. "I remember going in the water. And then I didn't wake up until six months ago."

Next to him, Carly gasped. "You were asleep for _five years_?" she demanded. "That _can't_ be right—"

"I don't know," Jason repeated, meeting her horrified eyes for a minute before focusing on the commissioner again, ignoring the others in the room. "I just know that I woke up in a room in Russia. These doctors were drugging me, and I had to figure out how to fight off the medicine. I was able to escape a few weeks ago, but it took time to get into the country. When I got here—" He took a breath. "I learned that there was someone else here saying he was me—"

"I _am_ Jason Morgan—"

"I don't know who you are," Jason said, his quiet but resolute voice breaking into the other man's angry growl. "I just know who _I_ am. I'm Jason Morgan. I woke from the accident in 1996 without any memories. They told me I was Jason Quartermaine, but that didn't feel right. So I dropped my last name and used my middle name," he repeated. "And for the next sixteen years, that's who I was. I am Jason Morgan."

The other man's glare only turned more bitter, his nostrils flaring. "That's impossible. I'm Jason Morgan. I remember every _single_ moment of my life after the accident. I remember waking up. I remember my grandmother and Michael—" he looked at Carly. "I _remember_ Michael—"

"I don't know how this is happening," Carly said, wincing, "but—"

"And Jake." The other man strode towards Elizabeth, took her by the shoulders, shook her slightly. Jason tensed and started to step forward, but Sonny stopped him. "I remember the night we lost him—"

"I—" Elizabeth stared at him, then stepped back, sliding his hands from her shoulders. She looked at Jason, then back at the other man. "I know you do. But I can't—" She cleared her throat.

"You think because he has my old face because he sounds the way I used to—" he raged. He whirled on Sam, who had said nothing since all of this had started. "Sam, you believe me. You know you do. You said you _knew_ I was Jason. You came to me, you said that you felt it—"

"I did—I do," Sam said hastily. She took the man by the hands, looked away from Jason, and focused on the man who was her husband now. "I do. I _still_ feel it," she added. "I don't—" She looked at Jordan. "I don't know what's going on—"

"Jason's been arrested a lot," Carly volunteered, cutting Sam off. "We never compared fingerprints because there was that weird system error that erased them, but you have to have the older files," she said to Jordan. She looked at Jason. "When was the first time you were arrested?"

"Train surfing," both men said in unison, then scowled at each other. "I was arrested in March 1996," Jason said when the other man fell silent. "The PCPD wasn't really on computers yet."

"They'd be in storage," Jordan said slowly. "But we could dig them out. What about blood tests?"

"I think," Elizabeth said carefully, looking at her feet, "you'll find that they're identical." She bit her lip, then looked up when all eyes were on her. "I mean, we did the DNA test back then," she reminded them. "When Carly first told everyone about the facial reconstruction. The tests were identical. And they weren't tampered with."

"No," Sonny murmured, stroking his chin. "No, we were careful. After everything else Helena had pulled—" He looked at Jason. "The DNA will match. You must be twins."

"The story Heather fed Sam about Franco being Jason's brother," Carly recalled. "We thought it ended up being a lie, but maybe she only lied about the identity of the brother—"

"Then _he's_ the missing twin," the other man said, desperately. "Not me. _I'm_ Jason—" He shook his head. "No—"

"We'll get fingerprints—" Jordan said again. "It might take a few days—"

"Not good enough. I want this resolved now," the other man snarled. "I am not going home with anyone thinking he's me—"

"Scars," Sonny offered.

"Jason has scars," Sam shot back. "Exactly where they're supposed to be. I've seen them—" She looked at Elizabeth. "Tell them. You've seen them, too—"

"I wasn't—" Elizabeth exhaled slowly. "I wasn't really looking at the scars," she managed, her cheeks flushing. She tucked her hair behind her ear. "I mean—" She glanced at Jason, and he knew she was thinking about the scars she'd taken care of both times he'd been shot and stayed in her studio. On his chest, and his thigh.

"I think we can save the strip search," Jordan said dryly. "We'll run a DNA test on Monday at the hospital, take the fingerprints to get comparisons, and pull the old ones from the files." She folded her arms. "I'm sorry, Mr. Morgan—both Mr. Morgans," she added, "but that's really all the PCPD can offer you tonight. It's Friday, and I'm not doing overtime for something that can wait."

"This isn't over—" the other man growled, then stalked out of the office. Sam looked at Jason for a long moment, but he could see nothing in her eyes that gave him any hope that she believed any differently that she'd said in here. Then she walked out.

"She's insane," Carly snapped. "I always _knew_ she was an idiot, but to think—" She looked at Jason, her eyes filled with tears. "Jason—I knew it was you. The minute I saw you."

"Carly," Elizabeth said softly, drawing the other woman's eyes. "Cameron just texted me. He and the others—they saw the party on social media. They know. All of them."

Carly winced. "Michael went to pick Joss up." She dragged out her phone, then saw she had several 911s from Joss and Michael. "She says Jake is freaking out."

"I need to get home," Elizabeth said, "and try to explain this to Jake."

"I—I saw Jake at the park," Jason told her. "I'm sorry. I think he saw me—"

"He did. We'll—" Elizabeth pressed her hand to her chest. "We'll talk about it. There's—" She glanced at Jordan, who wasn't even pretending not to listen to the conversation. "There's a lot."

"If you keep Jason from Jake this time," Carly began, but Sonny tugged on her arm, and she stopped talking.

"He's alive," Elizabeth said to Jason. "And he's perfect. He's—" She smiled at him. "He's going to _love_ you."

"You believe me," Jason said. He exhaled slowly. He hadn't realized how much he'd needed that. He wasn't surprised by Carly, not after Sonny had made his position clear. She'd followed his lead. But once Sam had stayed with the other man — Jason had known that not everyone would believe him, but he'd never thought _Sam_ wouldn't know him when they came face to face.

But Elizabeth did.

"Of course I do," Elizabeth said. "Sam—" She sighed. "She'll come around. She always does," she added with a mutter.

"We should go," Sonny said, pushing gently on Carly. They left the commissioner's office, to Jordan's disappointment. Once they were outside the PCPD, he told Carly, "Let's get the kids and figure out what's next." He focused on Elizabeth. "Elizabeth—we still should talk tomorrow."

"Is this—" She looked at Jason. " _This_ is what you wanted to run past me?"

"I think the Cassadines are up to their old bullshit," Sonny said. "Jason—come back with us tonight. We'll figure it all out tomorrow."

"Come home—" Carly began, reaching for his sleeve.

"In a minute," Jason told them. "I'll meet you at the car."

"But—" Carly began, but Sonny dragged her away, the blonde still pouting. Elizabeth stared after them, a faint smile on her lips.

"Elizabeth," Jason began, and she closed her eyes, taking a sharp breath. "What?" he asked.

"Nothing. Nothing." Elizabeth opened her eyes, and a tear slid down her cheek. "You just—no one says my name like you do, and I didn't—" She bit her lip. "I'm so glad it's you. And that you're home. That Jake gets to have you. I don't know what's going to happen with—" She shrugged a shoulder. "But I got a miracle with him. I'm so glad you get to share it."

"He's beautiful," Jason said, taking a step towards her. "I listened to them in the park. To all of you. He's so happy. It's what I wanted for him." He wanted to ask her about Franco, but this wasn't the time. "You should get home to them. They're probably worried."

"Yeah, he's been through a lot. But it's going to be okay. God, for the first time in years, I think I _actually_ believe that." She nodded towards the limo parked at the curb where Carly was standing, her arms folded, her foot tapping. "Now, go back to Greystone before Carly tackles you and drags you away."

**Pier 52**

Valentin finally caught up with Klein just as the little weasel was trying to slide down another alley. To get away from him. He grabbed him by his neck and shoved him against the wall.

"When we spoke earlier," he began almost conversationally, "and I learned you'd been lying to me for months about Patient Six, I told you to get to town as soon as possible." He tightened his grasp around Klein's neck, leaving the doctor just enough space in his throat to breathe. "You neglected to mention you were already _in_ Port Charles."

"I was trying—" Klein dug at Valentin's hands. "I was trying to get Six back before—"

"You failed," Valentin said pleasantly. "You're fortunate, however, that Patient Six isn't the _only_ project on which we were collaborating." He released Klein and the man fell to the ground with a thud. "Get back to St. Petersburg," he said flatly. "Get me those files. Find the lab that my mother was hiding from me and whatever else she neglected to tell me. Or I'll slit your throat in your sleep."

Klein scrambled to his feet and disappeared down the alley. Valentin glared after him, wishing like hell he didn't need the bastard, but alas — he'd made a tragic mistake when he'd killed his mother. He should have known that Helena's backup plan would include planning for Valentin's downfall.

"Mother always did have trust issues," he murmured.

**Webber Home: Living Room**

The beautiful thing about social media, Cameron reflected as he restarted the video for the fifth—possibly eighth time—was that someone always had a camera. The original Facebook Live had just given them the tail end of the fight—

But someone on Instagram—some fantastic, perfect person—had been filming something else and swung towards the doors when they first heard the shouts, and _this_ person knew how to use the zoom button.

Cameron wanted to watch Franco Baldwin get choked up close every day for the rest of his life. The guy with Jason's face had shoved the asshole through the double doors so hard that Franco had skidded across the ballroom, and you could see the panic and fear in his expression as he tried to get up—

And then the new Jason had launched himself at him—choking him one hand and punching him with the other—

It was _glorious_ , and everything Cameron Hardy Webber wanted in this world.

"I really love it," Aiden sighed.

"I didn't know you guys hated him this much," Jake admitted, but even he leaned in. "How come?"

"He's mean to Mom," Aiden said. "Like Charlotte is, you know? Like he says things, then smiles like it's a joke. But it's not a joke."

"Oh." Jake furrowed his brow, looked at Cameron. "Does he?"

"Yeah, he does."

And because Cameron's word was good as gold as far as Jake was concerned, his middle brother nodded. "Okay, then we don't like him. Play it again. Can you slow it down?"

"Can we put it on the computer and play with it? Like—put it on a loop?" Aiden asked eagerly.

"I'll ask Spinelli," Cameron murmured. "But I bet someone already made it a gif—" He snorted as Franco tried to crawl away from the new Jason, and new Jason just grabbed Franco by the back of the neck and dragged him back. "I like this guy." He winced. "Sorry, Jake."

"It's okay—I mean, we don't know anything yet." But Jake looked troubled, and Cameron reminded himself to keep his newfound feelings of hero worship to himself. Plus, if this guy was Jason Morgan—that complicated a whole lot of other things Cameron didn't want to deal with just yet.

Aiden giggled as Franco's yelp of pain came clear across the iPad screen. "That's the best part! I like when he cries! Play it again!"

"We should see if there are any other videos of Franco getting his face beat in," Cameron said, minimizing the video and returning to Instagram to check for other feeds—but then he realized the room felt a bit cold. He looked over from their position on the sofa—he was sitting in the center, Jake hanging on one side, and Aiden cuddled up close to him, giggling.

The giggling stopped as Aiden saw what Cameron was looking at. His face fell, and Jake slowly sat back, his blue eyes wary and a bit scared.

They hadn't even heard the door open.

Franco was standing in the entrance, one hand on the door and the other in the pocket of his jacket. One of his eyes was swollen shut, but the look in the other eye was unmistakable hatred.

"Go ahead," Franco said quietly. He closed the door and started forward. "Play it again."

Cameron stood up and put himself between Franco and his brothers, still clutching the iPad tightly. He could use it as a weapon if he needed to. "Mom said you weren't coming back tonight."

"Yeah, well, your mom is a liar. You should know that by now," Franco said.

"Shut up!" Jake roared, lunging to his feet. He would have launched himself past Cameron at the older man, but Cameron blocked him, his heart pounding fast.

"You shouldn't be here right now," Cameron said. "Not without Mom."

"This is my house—"

"It's not," Cameron said slowly, "but you know that already. Look, we weren't doing anything wrong, and you're not supposed to be here. So just go to the studio, okay?"

"Give me the iPad," Franco said. He stepped towards them.

"Jake, Aiden, go upstairs—"

"No." Jake shook his head, his voice wavering. "Not leaving you alone."

"Sweet. Give me the iPad," Franco repeated, his voice louder. "Now."

"No. Get out."

"You know the problem with you little brats?" Franco demanded. "Your mom has been so busy looking for the next father to drag through this door that she's never taught you any damn manners. Give me the goddamn iPad!"

Cameron didn't know why he refused or why Franco was pushing so hard, but something inside him told him that if Franco had the iPad—if he saw the video they'd been laughing at—

Everything would be worse.

He had to find a way to make him leave, but how did you reason with a serial killer?

"Mom will be home—"

"Your mother is chasing after the next contestant in the Jason Morgan circus," Franco snarled. "So it'll be up to me to knock some sense into you—"

And, then, like a flash of lightning, Franco had closed the distance between them, lunging at Cameron and the iPad. Aiden screamed, and Jake had to shove himself aside when Cameron grunted and pushed Franco back.

The psycho had a grip on the iPad, and the two of them yanked back and forth—Cameron determined to keep it out of his hands. No way in hell could he watch that video—not when his brothers weren't safe—

"Give it to me, you little piece of—" Then Franco let go of it with one hand abruptly, fisting his hand in Cameron's shirt, dragging the teen closer to his face. "Give it to me now," he hissed. "Or you might not live to regret it—"

Cameron's eyes bulged, and his heart was pounding so fast—he could hear his brothers screaming and crying and pleading in the background—and he didn't know what to do—how to fix it—he didn't know how to make it stop—

And then it did.

With a flat, angry growl that he'd never heard from his mother before—

"Get your hands off my son, or I will kill you!"

Franco hissed and turned, Cameron managing to focus on the petite woman with a furious expression and a baseball bat gripped in her hands—the bat she'd kept in the umbrella stand for years—

"Let him go," Elizabeth said, her eyes stony. "Now."


	7. Chapter Six

_Do you really want to hear that?_  
 _Why is everyone staring?_  
 _Were you happy?_  
 _Were you honest?_  
 _Did you ever believe that any of this was real?_  
 _We can't just slow down now_  
 _This road's not safe for driving out this town_  
 _I've wanted just one thing from you_  
 _Everything, everything, it's everything_  
\- Safe, Airborne Toxic Event

* * *

_October 2012_

**Spoon Island: Lab**

Andre Maddox exhaled slowly as he looked at the unconscious men stretched out on gurneys in front of him. The final twin had been delivered just a week earlier—with a gunshot to his back that had nearly proved fatal. It had taken a week before Andre felt comfortable enough to begin work. Victor had been apoplectic when the wounded twin had arrived—he'd demanded the twins be delivered unscathed.

"Well?" Victor demanded. "Is he ready? Can you begin the mapping?"

"His vitals are stable enough," Andre agreed, with a nod. He placed the last sensor on the injured twin—Patient Five had arrived almost three months earlier from overseas.

Despite being taken from a warzone, he'd been much easier to procure. Patient Six had been wily and had ducked several attempts to take him cleanly. Their agent had finally gotten frustrated and ignored his orders to deliver an undamaged specimen. He'd shot him and shoved him into the water. Victor's recovery team had barely managed to pull from the frigid waters of Lake Ontario.

"How long will this take?"

"I don't _know_ ," Andre repeated for what felt like the thousandth time. "This has never been done. This might not even work — it could fail at any stage. Do you want it done right or quickly?"

Victor seethed. "Why not both?"

"Mr. Cassadine—"

"Let the man work," the woman said quietly as she walked in behind her brother-in-law. Victor Cassadine was intimidating, but Helena was terrifying. " _You're_ the one that's invested in this experiment. I merely wanted Jason Morgan removed from the field for as long as possible."

Andre ignored the byplay and got to work. He didn't want to know _any_ of this. He didn't want to know which patient was Jason Morgan or why Helena and Victor had selected _these_ twins for the first field test. He just knew it had been more than Victor's conviction they were suitable. This was personal for them. He'd met Helena a few months ago after one of his colleagues at the lab, Ewen Keenan, had died, and she'd chilled him to the bone.

He avoided her at all costs.

He just wanted to dig out the memories from these men, prove they could be mapped and implanted into each other, and save others from the loss he'd suffered.

"Helena—"

"I told you, making her suffer is what matters," Helena hissed as Victor herded her from the room. "Losing her great love, knowing that he drowned, that his body lays beneath the waters—"

The door closed on the words as Andre shoved down the curiosity as to who Helena hated so much. He shoved it out of his mind and got to work.

_Friday, October 27, 2017_

**Morgan Penthouse: Living Room**

Sam's hands were still trembling as she and her husband walked through the door. Her mother, Alexis, rose from the sofa, her eyes stark against her face. "I just got off the phone with Kristina. It's all over the news—"

"Mom—" Sam rubbed the side of her face, looking away from her husband standing in the middle of the room, staring blankly at the floor. "I can't do this tonight—"

"But—" Alexis looked the man between them. "It's a _mistake_. Isn't it? There's—I saw the video on the news," she added, "but it's wrong. We did the DNA tests—"

"We're running them again," her husband said roughly, "but they'll probably match." He met Sam's eyes. "Whatever is going on, it's not going to be undone by a test. They'll have figured that much out. Just like Helena knew to erase my fingerprints—whoever is behind this already has an in at the hospital—"

"We'll have the tests run independently," Alexis said briskly. "This is just a mistake. A horrible mistake. Everyone has a double out there," she continued. "I remember Mac Scorpio did—"

"Elizabeth said it might be twins," Sam said softly. She looked at her husband. "I think she's right. Don't you?"

"I—" He walked over to the sofa, sat on the arm. "I don't know. Probably," he said finally. "Carly brought up the story Heather Webber fed us about Franco being my brother all those years ago."

"She might not have been completely lying," Alexis murmured. "So this new man—he's the twin?"

"I—" Sam wanted to say yes. She _desperately_ wanted to say yes. Because she'd felt it the minute she'd met the other man's eyes—the crackle, the light of recognition that had never, _ever_ been there with the man standing in front of her.

How she never realized it? How hadn't she felt the absence of it?

But this was her husband. She'd schemed and stolen him from his other life, and he'd fallen in love with her. He'd married her. He'd chosen _her_ and their children over that other life, over Elizabeth, Sonny, and Carly. Jason had never done that. How could she turn her back when everyone else already had?

"He must be," Sam said finally. "He's just—he says he's not, and he's convincing. As an actor," she added hastily when her husband shot her a glare. She folded her arms. "He's playing a game. Raised by Betsy—I bet that's why Franco wants to press charges. He knows who he is—"

"Maybe." He exhaled on a shaky breath. "I just—" He looked at Alexis. "I really just want to stop thinking about this. I know who I am. I had to fight to get my life back, and someone with my old face isn't going to steal it from me without a fight."

"We'll get the fingerprints," Sam told him. "They can fake a DNA test, but the physical fingerprints—from the PCPD archives—those are _yours_. Jordan isn't going to screw with that. Curtis won't let her do that to you."

"Right."

"Why don't I leave you for the night?" Alexis offered. "The kids are sleeping. Jason," she said, stressing the name. Alexis waited until he looked at her. "Go upstairs and look in on them. You'll feel better."

"Yeah. Yeah." He sighed. "Sonny and Carly believe him," he said faintly. "Elizabeth does—"

"Of course they do," Sam snapped. "They didn't believe in this new life. They want the old Jason back. The one that let Carly walk all over him, let Sonny use him, let Elizabeth lie to him—they're angry that you're putting me and the kids first. It's jealousy," she added. "Just like we said earlier."

"Yeah, I guess." Her husband kissed her forehead. "I'll see you upstairs."

"I'll walk you out," Sam told her mother, opening the door. Alexis sighed, then grabbed her coat. At the elevator, Alexis pressed the button. "Mom—"

"I saw some of the videos, Sam. They played them on the newscast, and they got the feed from the Metro Court —I saw the man that tried to choke the life out of Franco. I think we should both remember that the man who just went upstairs came to us with a different face, a different _voice_ —"

"Mom—"

"No memories, beyond some residual ones of Elizabeth and their son—" At that reminder, Sam's mouth tightened, and she looked away. "And he also came to us with a chip in his head from Helena Cassadine."

"He's my _husband_ ," Sam said with a lift of her chin. "All of that might be true, but he is also my husband and the father of my children."

"But is he _Jason Morgan_?" Alexis said gently. The elevator door opened before Sam could offer an answer. Alexis stepped on board, then held out her hand to prevent it from closing. "You would be doing him a favor if you were realistic—"

"I won't pretend to be someone I'm not. I am someone who loves her husband. I won't abandon him the way everyone else has," Sam retorted. "He needs me."

"I'll see you in the morning then." Alexis moved her hand, and the doors closed. Sam spent a moment staring at them before going back into the penthouse.

**Webber House: Living Room**

Her hands tightened around the bat, and Elizabeth lifted it higher, locking eyes with the man that she'd let into her home, into her life, into her body, her heart—

Into the lives of her boys. Her precious _babies_.

"Get your hands off my son _now_ ," she repeated.

Franco released Cameron's shirt, stepped away from her eldest son with his hands up. "There's been a misunderstanding," he said slowly. "Let me explain—"

"Cameron, take your brothers upstairs," Elizabeth snapped, not taking her eyes off Franco.

She'd never take her eyes off him again. Evil always struck when you weren't looking.

"Jake, Aiden, go upstairs," Cameron ordered. "I'm not leaving you, Mom. Let me call someone—"

"I came in here, and they were watching the video from the Metro Court. They were _laughing_ —"

"They are _children_ ," Elizabeth snarled, wishing she could get to the safe on the other side of the room. A bat—she knew she'd never be able to take him down for good. She had to get her babies to safety. "Cameron, upstairs. _Now_!"

"Not a chance," Cameron muttered, but he pushed Aiden and Jake towards the stairwell. "Go—"

"But—" Jake protested.

"Listen to me," he ordered in a tone that sounded so much like her own it might have been amusing any other time.

"I just wanted him to give me the goddamn tablet," Franco retorted. "If you'd taught your kids how to respect people—"

"You called my mom a liar!" Aiden screamed, and Cameron hissed at him.

"Upstairs!"

" _Go_ ," Jake told Aiden, and the youngest Webber boys headed up the stairs, their feet scrambling up the carpeted steps. She could breathe a little more easily.

But only a little.

" _Get out_."

"Damn it, Elizabeth!" Franco dragged his hands through his hair. "Why won't you just listen to me? After everything I've been through tonight, you're not even trying to listen to my side—"

" _Side_?" Her voice climbed almost to a shrill pitch as hysteria threatened. Oh, God, what if he didn't leave? What would she do? Behind Franco, she saw Cameron sliding his hand in his pocket, likely for his phone, but he was moving slowly—trying desperately not to draw any attention.

"You don't have a side. They're my children!" She forced herself to take a deep breath, for her lungs to fully expand. "Get out. _Don't_ make me say it again."

"What if I don't go?" Franco retorted. "What are you going to do? This is my house, too. I have rights!"

Damn it. _Damn it_. She had to get to the safe. Had to get something better than the bat. If she'd been by herself, she'd have gone for the fucking head and let the chips fall where they may.

But her babies were in the house, and she didn't think Cameron could get them to safety before Franco went after them.

And she knew, she _knew_ he'd go for them first.

"Okay." Elizabeth let the bat fall to her side. "Then explain your side," she said.

" _Mom_ —"

"Cameron. Let him explain. We owe him that much," she said, hating the way his face fell, how his eyes filled with disappointment and betrayal. Oh, God. What had she done?

She edged around Franco, wanting to put herself between Cameron and Franco. She had to get to the safe. Could she still get open as fast as Jason had taught her?

"Finally! Do you see my face?" Franco demanded. "Look at my throat!" He started to unzip his jacket to reveal the skin in question—

And Elizabeth went for the safe, thrusting the bat at Cameron, getting the code and door open in what must have been five seconds but felt like hours—

She yanked the gun from the top shelf where it had rested next to her passport and the boys' birth certificates for nearly a decade—

Franco's hands were still on the zipper of jacket, his one good eye bulging in stunned surprise as Elizabeth leveled the gun at his chest, stepping in front of Cameron.

"Get out," she said. "There's not a jury in this world that would convict me."

"You wouldn't—"

She slowly and deliberately disengaged the safety, the click reverberating in the quiet room.

"You don't know me as well as you think you do."

**Greystone Manor: Living Room**

"I cannot believe you knew for three whole hours," Carly said as they walked into the living room, "and didn't tell me. I _told_ you something was wrong—" She slapped Sonny's shoulder. "Didn't I? I said Helena put a whammy on him—but it's more than that—"

She turned to Jason and threw her arms around him, nearly knocking him off his feet. "It's _really_ you, isn't it?"

"It's me," Jason told her, closing his eyes, hugging her back.

"You'd _never_ buy a media company and abandon me—"

"Carly—" Sonny said, with a sigh as he pulled her back. "Let Jason breathe. It's been a long night—"

The door opened behind them, and Michael and Joss hurried in—Michael standing in the doorway for a moment to stare at Jason, who could hardly believe his eyes. When he'd last seen him, Michael had barely been twenty. He seemed taller, his face filled out, with lines at the corner of his eyes—this little boy he'd practically raised and had loved like a son—

"Oh my God," the girl beside him said, and Jason took in Carly's daughter for the first time. She must be sixteen now, he remembered, and looked a lot like her mother had when Carly had arrived in Port Charles at twenty-two. "We saw the videos, but—Michael—" Joss tugged her brother's sleeve.

Michael swallowed hard. "Is it—" He looked at his parents. "I don't—I don't understand what's happening," he said, finally.

"We don't either," Carly offered, her voice trembling. "But it's _Jason_."

"Of course it is," Joss said. She gestured at him. "I mean, it's just like I told the others," she said to Michael, "he tried to kill Franco, which is what _normal_ people do." And for some reason, she glared at her mother, who winced.

"Joss—" Michael said with a sigh.

"What? You think I'm ever going to let Mom forget what she did?" Joss demanded. "Has anyone even told Jason what's going on with that? I mean, he _lives_ with Jake—"

" _What_?" Jason demanded, everything else in his brain squeezed out at that. He whirled around to stare at Carly and Sonny. "What the _hell_ —"

"It's complicated," Carly muttered.

"Not really," Joss said breezily. She folded her arms, and Jason focused on her again because at least she was giving him answers instead of trying to protect him. "Franco showed up like eight months after you went into the water. He had all these stupid DVDs that supposedly proved his innocence and no one was buying it, but then Dr. Patrick found a brain tumor—"

"Brain tumor?" Jason repeated with disgust. "Not _again_."

"It gets better," Sonny offered. Carly scowled at him, and he shrugged. "What? You might regret it now, but—"

"Mom got Diane to defend Franco in court," Joss continued as Michael sat down, put his head in his hands. "And got all the charges dropped—"

"I am _not_ proud of that," Carly muttered.

"What about what happened after that?" Michael said dully. "You almost married him." He focused on Jason, who was just staring at Carly. "She didn't. But _he_ left _her_ at the altar." His mouth tightened. "She was having an affair with Dad, among other things." He looked at Sonny and Carly, who both looked away, and Jason frowned at that. There was something else that wasn't quite right.

But he couldn't really wrap his mind around any of this. "You almost married Franco?" he demanded of Carly. Which meant — "Is he—" He closed his eyes.

"One time," Michael said, leaning back against the chair, staring at the ceiling. "You told me that you thought Elizabeth might be able to forgive a serial killer because she was too nice." He met Jason's eyes without any humor. "I laughed then. It's less funny now."

Jason hissed under his breath. "How the hell did any of this happen?" he demanded. "Franco was dead. I killed him—" He winced, remembering Joss was there.

"Oh, don't worry, your failure to do that has been a source of _much_ irritation," Joss said with a shrug. "Cameron and I are _very_ disappointed."

"Joss," Carly said through gritted teeth. "Maybe you should go to bed."

"I can't," Joss said, rolling her eyes. "Because I know you think I'm just a kid, but me and Cam—"

"Oh, no," Sonny moaned. "What now?"

"Don't make that face, Uncle Sonny. This isn't like the last time," Joss said. "I promise. We didn't even get near a car tonight."

"You should listen to Joss on this one," Michael said, "Because, like I told you guys on the phone, this was _all_ over social media. Cam and Joss knew about it before I got there. And they saw the videos—"

"By the way, Jason," Joss interrupted, "Cam and Aiden are going to have the choking video on repeat for days. Highlight of the night—"

"Joss," Michael scowled. " _Focus_."

"Right, right, well Oscar—my boyfriend, Oscar Nero—and I actually found out that's not his real name—not his birth name. He's actually Oscar Cain, but his stepmom changed their name—"

"Jocelyn Jane." Michael shoved himself to his feet with a growl. Jason's head was starting to ache. "Oscar saw the video and says that you—" he gestured at Jason. "Your face—looks exactly like his dad's did the last time Oscar saw him. Andrew Cain. Disappeared from Afghanistan in July 2012. He went AWOL."

Jason exhaled slowly, then looked at Sonny. "So he did have my face before."

"Heather Webber wasn't lying, and neither were the DNA tests," Carly said. "But—" She hesitated. "He has _your_ memories, Jason. We didn't know who he was—and even when we found out, he still didn't remember. Then he did."

"He told me about raising me as a baby," Michael offered. "And it sounded real, but—" He paused. "I don't know. He also had that chip in his head," he reminded his parents. He looked at Jason. "He did these crazy things—really bad crimes—and got arrested. Elizabeth was sure something wasn't right, and it turns out Helena Cassadine had a chip in his head to control him."

"The Cassadines," Sonny said, nodding to Jason. "I _told_ you. Whatever this is—it's not over. You said you were chased in Russia, attacked in New York City."

"There aren't any Cassadines left," Joss said, folding her arms. "Except—" she hesitated. "Except for Valentin. He's _super_ scary."

"What? What did he say to you?" Sonny demanded.

"Oh—" Joss's eyes widened. "Nothing to me. He's not that dumb. He picked up Charlotte from Aiden's birthday party a few months ago, and he was like, super weird to Cam's mom. Like he said something about Nikolas—"

"What about Nikolas?" Jason asked, irritated by only having half the story.

"Valentin killed Nikolas last year," Carly said tightly, "and ended up inheriting everything. He's one of Mikkos's sons. Illegitimate," she added. "Joss, you never said—"

"Because he didn't say it to me," Joss repeated, rolling her eyes. "And Cam's mom never gets scared of anything. Cam says that's because they've all been kidnapped like twice. Except for Cam. Which I think sometimes he's jealous about—"

Michael put his hands on Joss's shoulders. "Why don't we go upstairs?" he said to her.

"No, I'm _helping_ ," Joss said, shrugging his hands off. "I listen to everything even when I'm not supposed to." She looked at Jason. "He's Charlotte's dad, and Lulu's her mom, so Aiden is stuck putting up with her, and Charlotte is _mean_. Like pick the wings off flies mean, and he's in Charlotte's class at school. He's always coming home, upset about her. Cam's mom can't do anything because the school refuses to stand up for Aiden because Valentin has all the money, and she doesn't —anyway—he's raising his own little serial killing psychopath, so that's how I know he's scary. Plus, he said to Cam's mom that it was a shame Nikolas couldn't get to see his son, only then he pretended like he'd made a mistake when he was just making a dig at her because he's also a giant douchebag—"

"I have a headache," Sonny muttered, but Jason had taken all of Joss's rambles in and refined them to the essential details. Valentin's daughter was the kid Aiden had been complaining about in the park, and Elizabeth had seemed resigned to the situation. And Valentin was also harassing Elizabeth about Nikolas, who was now dead.

"The important thing," Joss said, "is that we know who the other guy is because all Oscar has to do is get a DNA test, right?" she widened her eyes. "Or would that come back to being identical to you? I mean, would it say Oscar is your kid?" She furrowed her brow. "Would that help?"

"There _are_ advanced tests," Carly said. "They can use Jake and Oscar's DNA to establish identity," she offered. "Along with the fingerprints. That should take care of it—"

"What about—" Joss began, but Michael elbowed her. "Hey, ow, what, you think no one is going to ask about Danny?"

"Danny?" Jason repeated, furrowing his brow.

"I was _thinking_ ," Michael said, with a growl at his sister, "that maybe we've dumped enough crap on you tonight."

"Oh, well, maybe, but this is good stuff, isn't it? Jason went into the water with no kids, and now he's got _two_. That's gotta be, like, the best part, right?" Joss blinked at him as Jason just stared at her. "Right?"

**Webber Home: Living Room**

"You don't even know how to _use_ that thing," Franco said, his voice trembling just enough that she knew he was scared.

Good.

"You sure about that?" Elizabeth's lips curved up in a humorless smile. "You think Jason didn't teach me how to make a kill shot? When my life was on the line? When it came to protecting Jake and Cam?"

"Jason," Franco spat. "It's _always_ back to him—"

Was she really going to have to shoot him? God damn it—She hissed, then lowered the gun slightly—aiming it at the floor just by his toe. It had been a very long time since Jason had taught her how to shoot but—

Franco yelped when the bullet hit the floor just in front of his feet. Cameron hauled himself over to the stairs as Jake cried out, and Aiden started screaming.

"It's okay, it's okay! Mom just fired a warning shot. She's okay. We're okay!"

Franco stumbled back, glaring at her. "You fucking _shot_ at me!"

She raised the barrel, more confidently, because now she _knew_ she'd remembered how to use this damn thing. "Want to see what else I can do?"

He hissed, then stalked out the door, slamming it behind him so hard that the entire front of the house shook.

She didn't move the gun, didn't even blink until she heard his car roar away, the brakes squealing.

"Mom? Mommy!"

"It's okay, he's gone," Cameron told his brothers as Jake and Aiden came rushing down the stairs—Cameron holding them back because Elizabeth still had the gun in her hand.

"Mom," Jake said slowly, "are you okay?"

She wanted to tell him no. Of course, she wasn't okay. But she was the adult. These were her babies, and _she_ needed to be the strong one.

"Yes," Elizabeth told him. "Cameron, go secure the alarm and put the chain on the door."

She disengaged the safety and relocked the gun in the safe, her fingers trembling slightly as she took just a minute away from the boys to steady herself.

How had this happened? Had had _any_ of this happened?

"Mom?" Cameron said. She stood up and faced her boys, with their tear-stained faces and stunned expressions. "Mom," he said again, "we're going to talk about how badass that was, and I'm sorry I doubted you because I never saw _anyone_ move that damned fast, but I don't think we should depend on an alarm system he knows and a chain—"

"No, I know." Elizabeth pressed a hand to her head, tried to gather her thoughts. "And I need my floor fixed," she muttered, staring at the scarred hardwood. Or maybe she'd keep it as a reminder to never, ever let anyone else in again.

She felt a pair of arms encircle her waist through her black coat, and she opened her eyes to find Aiden clinging to her. "Hey, baby."

"I was scared he'd hurt Cameron, then us, but you came home, and you made him leave."

"Yeah, that was really cool," Jake told her, swallowing hard as he hugged her, too. She kissed the top of his head—her babies who had seen too much of the bad in this world.

She'd made him leave.

But _she had_ brought him home in the first place.

"Do we call the police?" Cameron asked. "I mean—" He glanced uneasily at the floor where the bullet had hit. "Will you get in trouble?"

"No, because we're not going to call them. They're the good guys," she reminded her children, "but they're not always the answer."

No, she needed someone who understood.

"Cameron, can you take the boys upstairs?" she asked. "I need to make a call."

**Cassadine Estate: Foyer**

Valentin winced when he saw Nina standing just beyond the foyer, in the parlor ahead of him. He gritted his teeth, offered his coat to the waiting servant, then waded into battle.

"You _left_ me," his wife said. "In the middle of all that chaos, you left me and walked out." Nina arched an imperious brow. "What the _hell_ is going on?"

"I saw someone I needed to speak to," Valentin said, offering her a charming smile, but it was a mistake since her eyes just narrowed.

"Right when a Jason Morgan look-alike was storming the ballroom, trying to choke the life out of Franco?" she said dryly. "You saw someone you needed to _speak_ with?"

"Yes." Valentin brushed a kiss on her cheek. "Have you looked in on Charlotte since you've been home?"

"Yes. She's sleeping. _Don't_ change the subject, Valentin. Who did you need to speak with so badly that you didn't even tell me you were going?"

"Just someone from the office. Really, Nina—" Valentin tried the smile again, but he really wasn't feeling it. He was stretched too thin, trying to keep too many balls in the air—the last thing he needed was a suspicious wife asking questions. And he highly doubted that Nina would be interested in why he'd had Jason Morgan held in a Russian clinic or why his return might bring everything crashing down.

He had too much to do—too many lines to tug—he needed to find those files—he needed to find the last of the Cassadines before his inheritance—what his mother had promised him—could be stolen from him—

"Valentin, I told you that I needed a new start," Nina said to him softly. "After what happened with my mother and Ric Lansing. And Ava and Silas. I needed to be able to trust someone. _Please_ don't tell me that you've become someone I can't."

"You can trust me," Valentin assured her, and this he could say without a single trace of dishonesty. His schemes were over—there were just some loose ends that didn't have anything to do with the life he'd created with Nina and Charlotte. "It's really nothing. I'm so sorry I left you in the middle of that, but those people don't _really_ matter to us, do they?"

"No," Nina said, slowly. "Other than Franco," she added. "But I imagine if the other man really is Jason Morgan, he'll have to accept that Franco has changed." She bit her lip. "What do you think is going on? I know that Helena was behind Jason's abduction all those years ago. Could it be something leftover from her?"

"Maybe," Valentin said. "I should probably find out," he offered. "Why don't I make some calls in the morning." He leaned in to kiss her cheek again, relieved that some of the cold tension in the air had dissipated. "My stepmother had many irons in the fire. After the Chimera," he murmured, "it makes sense that there might be some other loose ends."

"You should get to the bottom of it," Nina said, straightening his suit jacket. "It was scary last year when that poor little boy was under Helena's control. Dead for two years and still pulling strings—it's something out of a horror film."

"Yes." Valentin nodded. "It's time that Helena's secrets were revealed. She's dead, and she's going to stay that way.

**Webber House: Living Room**

Elizabeth rubbed her neck as she watched Michael change the security code on her door, as Sonny hovered nearby. "Jason doesn't know?" she asked. "I mean, that I called?"

"No, I talked him into going to bed just before you did," Sonny assured her. He gestured for her to join him in the kitchen while Michael finished changing the code. "When did you get a gun?" he asked. "You could have used it that time Obrecht locked you up at the old house—"

"The safe was too far away, and she was a lot smarter than Franco," Elizabeth said, rubbing her arms. "Jason got it for me." She looked back out into the living room. "After Michael was shot. He broke off the engagement, but he was terrified that someone already knew about me and the boys."

Sonny sucked in a sharp breath. "I didn't know—"

"He got me the safe, and he taught me how to open it fast. He knew I didn't want the gun around the boys, even unloaded. He kept his in a lockbox high up in the penthouse, but I couldn't—" She was babbling, her voice was shaking. "Anyway. He made me practice until I could get to the gun in ten seconds. He taught me how to shoot, too. I wasn't sure I'd remembered how to do that until I had to fire the shot. It came back in a rush. Muscle memory."

"He should have married you," Sonny muttered, scrubbing a hand over his face. "Christ. This is a goddamn mess."

"I feel like such an idiot," she admitted. "Everyone told me. Why did I think I was different? Why did I think I was special?"

"Why would you think this is on _you_?" Sonny bit out. "I'm the one that let him live over and over again. We should have cut his ass up in tiny pieces, set him on fire, and danced on his grave." He winced. "Sorry."

"No, it sounds like a great time right now. I killed one of the Russian guys when they came to get Jake that last time," Elizabeth said. "It didn't stop them from getting him, but I know I'd kill for my boys. That was never in doubt. I think it was just not wanting Cameron to see me do it."

"He might have enjoyed it, too." He paused. "These last five years Jason has been gone—there's so much he doesn't know. And he's getting all of it fast, like a freight train coming at him."

"Do you—should I not tell him?" Elizabeth asked, squinting. "I mean—"

"No, you should absolutely tell him. Franco threatened you, put his hands on Cam It doesn't matter that it wasn't Jake. You and the boys—you know you're family. And I like Cameron. You know I do. This pisses me off." He paused. "It's never happened before?"

"Absolutely _not_!" Elizabeth shook her head. "No, I didn't—it wasn't even until the last few days I even realized that Cameron and Aiden—that Franco was an issue. It's just been—the Chimera, my grandmother, then Jason—" She closed her eyes. "The shooting and the coma," she said slowly, "and Franco was spending so much time with his art show. He wasn't around the boys much after he moved in. This—I know this has to be the first time."

She turned as she saw Cameron come into the room. "Cameron, _please_ tell me—"

"I never would have kept that from you, Mom." He nodded to Sonny. "Hey, Mr. Corinthos."

"You ever gonna call me Sonny?"

"No, sir," Cameron said, but his smile was a bit more genuine. "Mom, I promise. I didn't think that was ever—if he'd gone after me, he might have done it to Jake or Aiden. And I asked them. They would have told you or me. I promise."

"Okay. Okay." She could breathe more easily. "Okay. That's—that's better. Are your brothers okay?"

"Yeah, they're in your room, watching Netflix. I'm gonna go back up, I just—" He shifted. "I just wanted to thank you for coming over, Mr. Corinthos. And Michael," he said as the older blond joined them in the kitchen. "With everything that's going on tonight. I appreciate you doing this for my mom and me."

"Any time," Sonny said. "If I let anything happen to you, Joss would never forgive me. You did a good job looking out for your brothers, your mom said. She could focus on getting that bastard out of here because you kept your head."

"Yeah, well, Mom was pretty cool under fire, too. I was scared," Cameron said, "but then she shot at his feet, and he jumped like eight feet in the air. That helped."

"I would have liked to see it," Michael said with a grin. "Jason will be proud when you tell him."

"I don't think pride is going to be high on that list," Elizabeth said. "Cam, I'll be up in a bit—"

"Yeah, yeah. Thanks again." He extended a hand to Michael, who shook it, then he shook Sonny's hand.

"That is an excellent kid you've brought up," Sonny said as Cameron's steps disappeared up the stairs. "About tomorrow—"

"I know I have to tell Jason," she said, "I just hate that it has to be like this. I hate that this happened, but tonight of all nights—I just want—I want to find out what's going on. How this happened, and now I have to drop Franco at his feet." She grimaced. "But I _have_ to tell him."

"Good. We're meeting at a safe house," he told her, and she frowned at him. "Not at Greystone. I don't want Carly at this meeting. It'll just be me, you, and Jason. And Michael," he said, "if you want to come."

"You planning on tying my mother up?" Michael said dryly.

"I'll figure something out—"

"She should be there," Elizabeth said, irritated with the both of them. "That's ridiculous. This isn't business, Sonny. It's Cassadines. And they scheme. Why the hell would you leave _Carly_ out of this? No one schemes like her."

"She's got a point," Michael said. "And if you don't bring Mom, she'll just find out and make you pay later. Plus, then she'll find out Elizabeth was there, and we really don't need Mom finding another reason to give Elizabeth hell."

"That is also an excellent point," Elizabeth said. "And what safe house? You have like a thousand of them, and I haven't needed to know any of them for—"

"The one Jason bought for you in Queen's Point," Sonny told her, and she fell silent. "It's how he got in contact with me. Only you, me, Spinelli, and Jason ever knew the code. It's a safe place, and I want to keep this quiet."

"The safe house in Queen's Point," Elizabeth said slowly. The one Jason had bought before the trip to Italy that had never happened. Where they'd talked about the future, had made love in several rooms before leaving and never going back. She forced a smile. "Sounds great. Let me know what time."

**Morgan Penthouse: Nursery**

He knew they were right.

That was the horrible truth behind all of this. He _knew_ he wasn’t Jason Morgan. Wasn’t that what the voice had been screaming in his brain for years?

It had started small, just merely a whisper in the days after his failed wedding to Elizabeth, when the world had been trying to shove him into a box labeled _Jason Morgan_. This is who you are, they’d said. Sam had begged him to see the truth, had begged him to come back to her, to their life. To Danny.

And he’d said no. He’d resisted. He didn’t remember that life. He knew _this_ life. He was Jake Doe. And Elizabeth and her boys—they were his family.

Then he’d learned Elizabeth had been lying, and he hadn’t known what to think. What to do. He couldn’t be Jake Doe anymore, and he didn’t want to be Jason Morgan. He didn’t belong anywhere.

The voice had only grown louder when his memories had returned—those memories that felt so real except when they also felt like movies playing in his head—like there was a strange white film over them sometimes, keeping him from really feeling like a _part_ of him—

He’d ignored that voice, ignored the out of body sensation he felt every time someone called him Jason. He had his memories, he’d told himself. And he shut it all way. He’d married Sam. They’d started a new life—

But since he’d woken up in the hospital after the last gun shot, the voice had been screaming so loud it had nearly drowned everything else out He’d ignored it, he’d kept going, finally ready to stop pretending he was the Jason from before—he was going to be the Jason of now. The Jason _he_ wanted to be.

“But it’s not me,” he said slowly, looking down at his beautiful little girl, the little girl with dark curls and her mother’s dark eyes, named for the sister that wasn’t his.

He squeezed his eyes shut. If he let this go, if he stopped living this life, who would he be this time? He’d be no one again. Couldn’t go back to Jake Doe. That life was gone. He’d burned all those bridges—

No. It _had_ to be a lie. And there had to be another reason his memories didn’t always feel right. His brain had been knocked around a lot, Sam had laughed once. It was a miracle he could function. That’s what it was.

He _was_ Jason Morgan. Sam was his wife. And Danny, Scout, and Jake were his kids. He couldn’t lose them. He _couldn_ _’t_ lose another life.

“Jason?”

He turned to find his wife standing in the door frame, her voice hesitant. Had she stumbled over his name because she was worried about him? Or because she just didn’t know to tell him that she _also_ believed the man with the face she’d loved once?

“Jason,” Sam repeated, her voice steadier this time, more assured. He wondered if he’d imagined it.

“Hey.” Jason smiled at her. “Sorry, I was just thinking about how beautiful Scout is. How much she looks like you.”

Sam returned his smile and held out a hand. “Let’s go to bed,” she said softly. “Everything will be better in the morning.”

Knowing she was lying—that nothing would be okay again—Jason took her hand and followed her into their bedroom.

**Greystone Manor: Living Room**

Sonny frowned when he walked through the door and found Jason sitting on the sofa. "Jason, I thought you'd gone to bed—"

"I did," Jason said as he got to his feet. "Then I heard you leave. What happened?"

Sonny pressed his lips together. "I got a call to take care of a security problem," he said. "And I didn't know how to change a security code, so I took Michael. He's picked up some things from Spinelli. We should call him in the morning, by the way. We'll need him."

"What security problem," Jason said, ignoring Sonny's attempt to change the subject, "did you need to deal with that you were comfortable taking _Michael_?"

"It's been a long five years," Sonny said. His voice shook as he continued. "You know about Morgan, but there's a _lot_ more. You can't learn it all in one night."

"Sonny—"

"I know it's a mess. I _know_ there's a thousand things going in your head, and you'll never be able to sleep. That's fine. But we need to take this one step at a time. We'll get Spinelli back in town. We'll need him. We'll find out who did this to you—"

"Five years," Jason repeated. His entire life—everything he'd known—it was gone. And in its place was a world he didn't know. Didn't understand. Couldn't even _process_. Jake was alive. Danny was apparently his biological son. Sam didn't believe him, and Elizabeth was living with Franco, who Carly had almost married—the Cassadines might still be coming after him—or anyone else who mattered—

"One step at a time," Jason repeated. He took a deep breath. "You're right. We're meeting tomorrow?"

"Yeah, and until we get a handle on what we're dealing with, I don't want Elizabeth coming over here and signaling Valentin, or whoever the hell we're dealing with that she's gonna help." He hesitated. "And it might be good if Franco doesn't know she's spending time with you."

Jason narrowed his eyes. "Sonny, what the _hell_ is going on?"

"We'll talk about it tomorrow. Neither one of us might be able to sleep," his friend said, "but I sure as hell need to lay down. I'm not as young as I used to be. And neither are you."

"I want—"

"Tomorrow," Sonny repeated. He paused. "And this isn't my story to tell."


	8. Chapter Seven

_In my defense, I have none_  
 _For never leaving well enough alone_  
 _But it would've been fun_  
 _If you would've been the one_  
 _I persist and resist the temptation to ask you_  
 _If one thing had been different_  
 _Would everything be different today?_  
 _-_ the 1, Taylor Swift

* * *

_May 2015_

**Mykonos, Greece: Cassadine Estate**

Helena set down the latest surveillance report of Luke Spencer and his wretched sons to peer at her own child with irritation. " _Why_ must we have the same argument over and over again?"

"When you came to me," Valentin said, flicking an imaginary piece of lint from his trousers before meeting her eyes, "you said you had lost faith in the Cassadine blood line. That it was weak. Impotent. You promised me if I helped you get your revenge on the Spencers and Elizabeth Webber, that you would make sure I inherited everything."

Helena sat back in her chair, arched a brow imperiously. "And you doubt my word?"

"It's been five years since you started this, Mother," he said, dryly. "Since you promised that Nikolas would be the _first_ casualty, I suppose I'm wondering—" He leaned forward. "Just how _stupid_ do you think I am?"

"You doubted Nikolas's loyalty. I have as well," Helena admitted, "but you must admit that in recent days, he's proven himself to be capable of great cruelty. Why—" She gestured at the latest tabloid reports from Port Charles. "He's drawn Elizabeth in beautifully, telling her the truth about Jason Morgan, convincing her to keep the secret, having Hayden Barnes shot in the head—fifteen years ago, he could barely bring himself to bruise Elizabeth Webber. And now he's _leading_ her personal torment."

Valentin rubbed his bottom lip. "So you no longer need me."

"Don't be ridiculous," Helena said, with a shake of her head. "Nikolas still has a moral compass. There's no telling when his mother's weak blood will take hold. He might think he's the Dark Cassadine Prince I've always wanted, but I know better. No, he'll fail me eventually. He always does."

"Then what is the point in waiting—"

"I intend to finish my revenge," Helena said coolly. "I've already laid the hints for Luke and Lucky. I imagine they'll be visiting me in a matter of weeks. Little Jake will be home by the end of summer. Elizabeth will be tormented in keeping the secret, but she'll break. And she'll despise Nikolas for doing this to her. For telling her the truth. He'll lose her. And then the Chimera—" Helena tapped a pen. "Dear Valentin, will it not be quite glorious to break Nikolas before little Jake Webber kills them all?"

"You intend him to be in the room when you trigger the Chimera," Valentin said. He sat back. "That's…unexpected."

"I always said that once my revenge was complete, I would turn over the reins to you," Helena said with a smile. "My son. My legacy."

"I wish that I could believe you." Valentin rose gracefully to his feet and adjusted the line of his suit jacket. "But, alas, Mother, I know something that you don't think I do."

Helena smiled at him. "And what is it that?"

"That Nikolas and his son are not the last Cassadines left." Valentin met his mother's eyes. "That you've one more trick up your sleeve."

Helena's smile didn't change, but she tilted her head. "One should always have a back up plan, Valentin. You aren't my _only_ child."

"Cross me on this, Mother," Valentin said, "and you'll regret it."

"We'll see."

_Saturday. October 28, 2017_

**Greystone: Kitchen**

Jason poured himself a cup of black coffee, then went over to the table and sat down. He stared at the dark liquid.

It was the first cup of Corinthos & Morgan coffee he'd had in—well, apparently, years—but for Jason, it only felt like six months.

He used to drink this coffee three times a day every day. He had since the day they'd delivered the first shipment to Kelly's—the same place where Sonny had sat down at a table shortly after he'd returned to Port Charles more than twenty years ago and asked Jason to go into the coffee importing business as a new front.

"It's not poisoned," Carly said as she swept into the kitchen and flashed him a beaming smile. "I just love seeing you here. I woke up this morning, and I thought it was a dream, but then I went past the guest room, and the door was opened—and it wasn't—" She took a deep breath. "You're here. And you're _you_."

"I am." Jason lifted the cup to his lips and took his first sip. The hot, bitter liquid slid down his throat, and for just a minute—

For a single minute, he could close his eyes and pretend that none of this had happened, and he was drinking his coffee to start the day.

"So, where do we start?" Carly said. She sat down with a glass of orange juice. "I thought I'd go over and help you with Sam. She probably just—she was _shocked_ , Jason. And she'll—"

"Don't—" Jason put up a hand. "Don't do that, okay?" Carly blinked at him. "Sam went home with—with the other guy, okay? She made her decision—"

"But Danny is your _son_ —"

And that was something else he couldn't quite wrap his mind around. He'd spent Sam's entire pregnancy struggling with the idea of being a father again. Of bringing a life into the world when Jake wasn't there anymore. Danny wasn't supposed to be his, and knowing that fact—knowing that the tests had shown different—

Jason couldn't make it work in his head—and maybe he wouldn't be able to until he talked to Sam about it. If she'd ever let him get that far. He'd recognized that look in her eye the night before.

"Carly—"

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry. I'm pushing, I know—" Carly closed her eyes. "I'm just—I want to help. I want to make things okay for you. Getting your life back—I want that for you."

"I know."

"All right—" Sonny strolled in, his cell phone in his hand. "I've got someone for you," he told Jason. "Spinelli—"

"If this is some sort of twisted, sick joke," Damien Spinelli began, his familiar tones echoing in the kitchen—

"Look for yourself—" Sonny turned the phone, and Jason was suddenly face to face with the hacker he'd taken under his wing more than a decade ago. Spinelli's eyes blanked for a moment, and he closed his mouth.

"Stone Cold," he said softly. "Is that really you?"

"That depends," Jason said, roughly, moved by the emotion he saw sweeping over his friend's face, even three thousand miles away in Portland, Oregon. "Are you still the Jackal?"

Spinelli's face creased into a vibrant grin. "Until my dying day! Stone Cold! What happened? Where _were_ you? Who's the other guy?"

"We were hoping you might come and help us find that out," Sonny said, sliding onto the bench next to Carly, leaning across the table. "You interested in joining the team?"

"I am _in_ ," Spinelli declared. "Sign me up for service, Mr. Sir." He saluted. "Shoot me over anything you want me to work on — it might take a few days to get to Port Charles. Did Mr. Sir tell you about my Georgie?"

"He did. Congratulations," Jason said. "I don't want you to spend too much time away from her—"

"Never, never. The Maximista and I were just talking about making some changes, so I was gonna be heading that way sooner or later. Give me—" he squinted. "A few days, and I'll be back. Stone Cold and the Jackal, reunited at last!"

With Spinelli on board, Jason hung up the call and slid the phone across the table. "I thought I'd head over to the safe house," he told Sonny. "Early, I mean. Thanks for asking me over last night, but—"

"What? What's this? You _can't_ leave," Carly said. "No, Sonny. Tell him, he needs to be around _family_ —"

"I—" Sonny hesitated. "I don't know, Jason. I thought we were talking about keeping the safe house on the down low. Using it for meetings—"

"And that made sense last night," Jason said, "but I woke up this morning and realized that _everyone_ is going to be asking the same questions we are—"

"But Elizabeth—"

Carly clenched her teeth. "What does she have to do with this? What? Does she want you to pay rent? Did you _give_ her the damn house?"

Jason frowned at her. "No. It's my house. I bought it and buried the deed with holding companies tied to the warehouse."

"I remember that now. Diane signed some paperwork for transfer," Sonny said. "Carly, don't start—"

"'I'm not starting. I just don't know why _she_ has to be involved in any of this—"

"Jason was shot by Cesar Faison," Sonny reminded her. "And Faison was involved in—what do we call him? Other Jason?"

"Fine, Faison was involved—"

"So were the Cassadines," Sonny continued. "Helena and Victor were part of his kidnapping, and they must have been involved with what happened to Jason. Valentin sent Ava to the same clinic where Jason was being held—"

"Ava?" Carly said. Her eyes lit with fury. "That bitch was part of this? I'll ruin her this time! I won't let her _live_ —"

"She saved my life and helped me escape," Jason said flatly. "I wouldn't be here if it wasn't for her. I didn't know who she was, and I don't know what your problem with her is, and right now, I'm not interested." He got to his feet. "I'm heading over, Sonny. I'll see you later."

"Get one of the guards to set you up with an SUV until we get things settled, " Sonny said. "I'll call you when I'm on my way over."

"Fine."

"Wait, Jason—"

But Jason wasn't interested—he left the room, taking his coffee mug with him. Carly grimaced, then looked back at her husband. "What? What did I do?"

"Uh, well, you attacked Elizabeth for no reason, and then you put his back up about Ava. Look, at some point, we'll tell him why Ava can't be trusted. We _will_ ," he repeated when she scoffed. "But if he's right—if she really _didn't_ know who he was and helped him come home—God, Carly, let's just sit with that for a minute and be grateful."

"She is the _reason_ Morgan is dead," Carly spat out. "I will _never_ —"

"Julian and Olivia Jerome are the reason Morgan is dead. Ava loaded the gun. _They_ pulled the trigger." Sonny closed his eyes. "Carly—"

"Fine. Fine. I still don't—"

"You know, I didn't even want you to go to this thing later," Sonny said, losing his patience. He got to his feet and went over to the coffee pot. "I wanted to leave you out of it."

Blindsided by that, Carly stared at her husband's back, tears stinging her eyes. "What? _Why_?"

"Because I knew you'd do this. I _knew_ you'd make it about you. About who _you_ hate. About what _you_ think Jason should do. And there's no room in this for any of that. Not when we don't know what we're dealing with."

Carly opened her mouth but found it difficult to force words out. "But Jason said no. He had my back—"

"It never got that far. Elizabeth wouldn't hear of leaving you out."

Her cheeks heated, and rage boiled in her veins. "Oh, so _she_ gets a say?"

"No," Sonny retorted, turning back to Carly. "I asked her to help because she knows the Cassadines, and with this all happening so close to the Chimera—it seemed wrong to leave her out. And she said you should be there because no one knows how to scheme like you. So remember when you're bitching, crying, and moaning— _Elizabeth_ had your back. Sam went home with the other guy, and Elizabeth's here, trying to get to the bottom of things. Don't be stupid about this, Carly."

_Don't be stupid about this._

_Stupid._

Carly rose to her feet. "Thank you for the invitation," she said coolly. "And tell Elizabeth I appreciate the support, but I wouldn't _want_ to distract you with my schemes and selfishness."

"Carly, don't—"

"No, I heard you. Loud and clear." Some things would never, _ever_ change, and she couldn't take one more hit today. "I have things to do at the hotel."

**Webber House: Kitchen**

Felix set the tray down on the kitchen island. "Hot chocolate for you," he said to Elizabeth. "Chocolate milk for both our young Mr. Webbers—" He handed the drinks to Aiden and Jake, "and, uh, black coffee for Cameron—" He squinted at the tallest Webber son. "When did _this_ start?"

"When I started AP Biology," Cameron muttered, taking the cup from his mother's friend and reaching for a donut from the box. "Thanks. I need to go up and get back to my homework—"

"Uh huh—" Felix turned back to Elizabeth with her face set grimly. "Did I miss something? The Webber boys seem quiet this morning," he said after Jake and Aiden had left the room and gone to play video games. "Jake handling this okay?"

"I'm not sure it's sinking in for him yet," Elizabeth said slowly, "because he got distracted by what happened last night." She picked up her drink and went over to the kitchen table, waiting for Felix to follow. "You probably saw all the videos—"

"I never saw the Port Charles Instagram community having so much fun—there's a really great one where the new guy drags Franco—" Felix stopped and coughed. "Not important. Uh, where is Prince Charming?"

"Rotting in hell," Elizabeth muttered. She sipped her hot chocolate as Felix merely lifted his brows. "He came in while the boys were watching the video. He demanded the iPad, Cameron refused, and—" Her stomach twisted. "He tried to take it from my son. He grabbed him by the shirt, and I know there was shoving—"

"Oh, hell, no. He did _not_ put his hands on my Cameron. Uh uh. I will not have it." Felix clenched his jaw. "Where did you put the body?"

"I got home just as he grabbed his shirt—I got him out of the house," Elizabeth said finally. She took the top off the hot chocolate and reached for a spoon to stir the rapidly melting whipped cream into the liquid.

"Elizabeth."

She blinked, then looked up at him. "Cameron refused to go upstairs. He wouldn't leave me alone with Franco." She told him about the bat and the gun. "And when I called Sonny and Michael to help me with changing the security—he came down to thank them. Like he was the adult—Oh, God, _what_ have I done to my little boy? How could I have forced him to grow up so fast?" She pressed a hand to his face. "I was sixteen when I stopped being a child," she murmured. "I wanted more for him. I wanted him to be innocent for so much longer."

"The world doesn't always let babies stay babies as long as they should," Felix told her. "Cameron loves you. He'd never blame you—"

"Well, he _should_ ," Elizabeth said. "Because if it wasn't for me, his life _would_ be better. I brought Jake Doe into this house, and then tried to hold him here with a lie. And because of that, I destroyed my entire life. I wasn't the only one that took that hit, Felix. You know that." Her mouth thinned. "And I then I brought Franco into this house. Franco. _I_ put him in this house with my children."

"You made a mistake—"

"How many more mistakes do I get?" Elizabeth demanded. "I got Jake back. That was a goddamn miracle. I'm not going to get any more of those. I keep saying my children come first, but have I really been doing that? No. I've been thinking about myself."

Felix sipped his latte. "You done with your pity party?"

She scowled. "Felix—"

"You made a mistake. A few of them," he added when she made a face. "You're not perfect which is why _we're_ friends. Perfect is boring. Let me remind you that right about the time Franco fucking Baldwin slithered his way into your life, you were dealing with Jake almost dying again, that worthless trash whore Sam blowing up your house, Sabrina died, Hayden turned out to be your sister, and Tom Baker got out of jail. You were low, baby. And he's a bottom feeder."

She closed her eyes. "I know. _I know_. He always said I never would have looked at him if it hadn't been for that lie."

"Not just the lie. You're stronger than that. The lie, the whole world finding out when it was none of their damn business," Felix retorted. "That was between you and—well, apparently the guy who we _don't_ think is Jason?"

"He's not Jason. He might be Oscar Nero's biological father," Elizabeth said. "Don't ask. I'll explain that part later." She scrubbed the side of her head. "And then after Tom Baker, Jake was struggling again."

"Exactly. Jake went through all of that, and your grandmother died—Elizabeth, the world has been slapping you around for _years_. You tried to be happy. You looked for love. You went down some dark ass alleys," he added and she laughed. "But you just wanted to be loved. That's human. You know it. The second you realized your boys were in danger, you stepped up to the bat. Literally."

"If Cameron had gone upstairs, I would have pulled the trigger. I wish I had. Because then he'd be dead, and I'd just call Sonny to get rid of the body. He'd do it for me." Elizabeth rubbed her chest. "How do I accept that it's in me to feel that way? A week ago, Franco was someone I thought I was in love with, and now I can't even fathom looking at him again without tearing his eyes out."

"Well, to be honest, that doesn't surprise me. You're loyal to a fault until someone comes for your babies. And then you destroy them. That's just right. Plus—" Felix wiggled his brows. "You know, a girl that hooks up with a hit man like Jason Morgan—you gotta have a little bit of a ruthless streak in ya."

"Enforcer," Elizabeth corrected without thinking, then locked eyes with Felix for a minute before they burst out laughing. "How do you do that?"

"Because I know you. And I love you. You always do your best. Some days, you get it wrong. Last night, you got it right." He picked up his latte. "So, speaking of the famed enforcer with the double—how are we feeling about _that_? What's the deal? Which one is which?"

"The guy who tried to choke Franco is Jason. I know it," Elizabeth said. "And the other guy—like I said, we think he might be this other guy, Drew Cain. How it all fits together? I don't know. Sonny asked me to come over and help because of the Cassadine connection."

"Well, at least you'll have something to distract yourself from all of this—" Felix leaned back in his chair. "How did you know it was him?"

"I could tell you I knew as soon as he wrapped his hand around Franco's throat, or when I saw his face—or at the PCPD, the other guy—I'm going to call him Drew because otherwise my brain will explode—he grabbed my shoulders, and Jason almost came forward to stop him."

"But it wasn't those moments?"

"It all added up," Elizabeth said, "but I was still—I was ninety-nine point nine nine percent convinced, but I've been through a lot in Port Charles, and you never rule anything out. Then—" She stared down at her hot chocolate. "He said my name."

"Oh." Felix put his hand on his chin. "This sounds like a story."

"It's not. It's just—I didn't even realize it until I heard him say it, but no one else says it the way he does. Lucky always sounded like he was whining or yelling at me," she said with a wince, "but—anyway. I'm not sure what's going to happen with any of that. Or how involved I'll be with the search. Sonny doesn't really let people in, and Jason usually follows his lead. Right now, they need me because they need Cassadine information, and Laura doesn't like Sonny."

"Laura always _did_ had have good taste."

"The thing is—and this is so _stupid_ —we're meeting at this safe house later. A safe house that no one else knows about because Jason bought it in my old neighborhood so I could have a place to go if anything happened and he couldn't get to me." She paused. "The safe house he wanted me to go nine years ago when Jake got kidnapped by the Russians, but I didn't listen to him. I went with Sam and Lucky, and Jake got kidnapped. I had to kill a man, and Jason ended up deciding it was too dangerous to be together so we broke up."

"Oh, man, one day, we're gonna sit down with some wine, and I'm getting the whole Jason and Elizabeth story, but let's go back to this. You been to this safe house before?" Felix asked.

"Once." Elizabeth exhaled. "Right before Kate Howard was shot, Jason and I were supposed to go to Italy. We'd always dreamed about it, and it was finally going to be our chance. He brought me to the house one day when Lucky had the boys. We spent hours there."

Felix sighed. "Oh, man."

"It was the last time we were able to spend the whole day together," she murmured. "The last really good day before it all fell apart. And it's so stupid to think it matters now. It doesn't. It was a lifetime ago. He probably doesn't even remember."

"No? He remembered the house. He picked it because he thought it was safe, didn't he? Because only you and him, and probably Sonny knew about it. And hey, you don't get to call yourself stupid. Not in front of me."

"Thanks." She met his eyes. "I mean it, Felix. I love you."

"I love you, too, girl, but I wasn't kidding about that story. It sounds like a good one."

**Morgan Penthouse: Kitchen**

"You okay?"

Jason glanced up from his cup of coffee to see his wife entering the kitchen, their daughter perched on her hip. "What?"

"You're staring into your coffee like it has all the answers," Sam said. She furrowed her brow. "Jason, it's going to be okay. Whatever's going on—we'll get to the bottom of it. We'll make sure everyone knows who you are and if this guy—" She closed her eyes. "If he's your twin, we'll handle it."

"I know." He hesitated. "Last night, when he talked about waking up after the accident—when he talked about being arrested—he sounded convincing."

"So?" Sam shrugged. She put Scout into her high chair, then crossed over to the cabinet to take down a container of cereal bits. "Take it from a former con artist—you can sound convincing if you believe your own bullshit. And maybe he's been brainwashed, or his head's been screwed with like yours, you know? Maybe he believes it."

"And you don't."

Sam paused, her back to him, her hand stretched up, touching the container of formula. She exhaled slowly, put it on the counter, and turned to face him. "I told you I didn't."

"I know." Jason leaned against the fridge. "But you were the only one in the room who didn't. I think even Franco thinks the other guy is me."

"Well, that's because he's been expecting you to kill him since the day those DNA tests came back," Sam said. "Of course, Sonny, Carly, and Elizabeth took this other guy's side. You're pushing them away. They refuse to believe you'd do that."

He wanted to believe her. She looked like she was telling the truth—

But as she'd just reminded him, she was a former con artist who'd made a living convincing people to believe bullshit.

"When I checked my phone this morning," Jason said, "I had requests for interviews—this is everywhere."

"I know, it's all over social media. My mom left me a message, asking me what we want to do." She hesitated. "Jason, if Elizabeth is on this other's guy's side and it's everywhere—you know that Jake probably knows about this by now."

"Yeah, that thought occurred to me."

"She might have already told him you're not Jason."

Would Elizabeth have done that? Maybe. Maybe if she was really convinced— "If she has," he said carefully, "I'd like to think she'd tell him it wasn't confirmed. That she might be leaning one way—"

"Do you really think she's going to be that fair?" Sam demanded. "She's never wanted Jake around me. You know that. She didn't even give you custody in her will. The boys were supposed to go Audrey. God knows who they go to now—"

Jason made a face. "She wanted them to stay together—she explained that—"

"Bullshit. We'd take them all if we had to," Sam retorted. "She didn't want Jake around me. So, of course, she's going to take the side of the guy who isn't with me. If you and I weren't together, who knows what she would have done."

There was a logic to Sam's words, but Jason couldn't quite bring himself to believe Elizabeth was that cold-blooded. "Sam—"

"Anyway, it's useless to think about what Elizabeth does with Jake right now. But when the truth comes out," Sam said, "and you're proven to be Jason, I think we need to revisit custody. It's not fair that she gets total control, and you have to ask—"

"I don't have to ask—" Jason's mouth tightened. "Jake's been through a lot this year. He needed stability and his brothers. He's in therapy, and I see my son whenever I want. She's never kept him from me. We're not revisiting custody because Elizabeth believes this other guy. That was last night. Maybe she's thinking differently this morning. We don't even know if she's talked to Jake. I mean, damn it, Sam, you didn't have a single moment of doubt?"

She lifted her chin. "No—"

"I don't believe you. He has my face, my voice, and enough knowledge of my life to sound like me. Hell, even _I_ doubted who I was for a minute."

"Jason—"

"Just tell me the truth," he pressed.

She handed the bottle she'd made to Scout and shook her head. "No, I won't admit to something that didn't happen because _you_ want to feel better. I know who you are. You are my husband, the father of my children, and the man I love."

She didn't add that she knew he was Jason Morgan, but he didn't press her on it. He didn't want to argue about this anymore.

When he said nothing, Sam lifted Scout into her arms, handed her the bottle from the highchair. "I'm going to get the kids ready and head over to my mother's. I want her to start putting together a statement or something. Not that we'll issue it," she added, "not unless you want to, but Mom wants to get ahead of things."

"Fine."

Sam left the kitchen, and Jason went back to his coffee. It was warm, bordering on chilled, and he scowled. He shoved it into the microwave to heat it up. He heard a knock on the door and Sam's voice.

A few minutes later, Curtis Ashford strolled into the kitchen. "Hey, man. How's your morning?"

Jason snorted. "Not as good as yesterday morning," he muttered. He nodded at the coffee pot. "You want any?"

"Nah, I'm good." Curtis squinted. "So, uh, Jordan thought it might be better if I stopped by to talk to you about setting up DNA tests or whatever. A friendly face. She's calling the, um, other guy."

"Okay." Jason took a deep breath. "Okay. What's the plan?"

"She says she wants to get the fingerprints, but the PCPD physical archives are a goddamn mess. Apparently, when they moved into the new building back in '03 after that fire, they didn't really worry about getting the physical records organized. It might take a few days to find the fingerprints file from that '96 arrest. So she's moving forward with at least establishing you and the other guy are related."

"We probably are," Jason admitted. He sat down at the table, gestured for Curtis to sit down. "Did Jordan tell you about the Heather Webber twin story?"

"Sort of. Heather is Franco's mother? Where the crazy comes from?"

"Hard to say where _his_ brand of insanity comes from," Jason muttered. "And technically, Franco and I _are_ related. We're cousins. Heather was pregnant at the same time my biological mother, Susan Moore, was. Susan had me first, and then Heather had Franco. She left Franco with Betsy Frank, and then—" Jason squinted. "She ended up not being able to go back, or Betsy disappeared with the kid. I can't remember now. She's also Steven Webber's mother. Elizabeth's half-brother."

"Oh, man, this lady gets around."

"She does." Jason drank his coffee. "Anyway, when we thought Franco was dead back in 2012, Heather told Sam that he was actually _my_ twin brother. That Susan Moore had twins, and Heather gave one of us to Betsy."

"Why?"

"Because she's insane? Who knows. That was the situation when I went into the water later that October. By the time I was back and found out who I was in 2015," Jason continued, "Franco was back, exonerated of all charges and accountability, and was established as the son of Heather and Scott Baldwin—who, by the way, was married to Susan Moore at the time she was murdered. I just figured the twin story was a lie or that everyone had sorted it all out when I wasn't around."

"Then this guy shows up with your face, voice, and your life story saying he's you," Curtis said. "Which means the twin story doesn't sound insane anymore."

"No. It doesn't. A DNA test is just going to prove that."

"Well, that's something to start with anyway. Jordan is arranging it with the hospital and also an outside lab," he added, "in case you're worried about tampering. Jordan also wants to do advanced DNA testing on Danny and Jake—it'll give us paternity—"

"No." Jason shook his head. "Not Danny. He's—he's afraid of needles and doctors after the cancer treatments. They're both my sons. And I can't—" He paused. "I don't know if Elizabeth will want Jake to go through it after he was in the hospital for the accident and the Chimera—"

"Jordan is contacting her today. I get it, man. I do. No one wants to drag the kids into this, and I wish like hell there was another way, but those DNA tests come back fast these days. We can probably get a turn around by Wednesday. Don't you want this over?"

"I do," Jason said. "But not at the expense of my kids. Danny's been through enough. And I don't want Jake to know about this—"

"Jason—"

"But I'm sure he already does," Jason said with a sigh. "It's all over social media, and I know Cam was watching them last night. I think Joss was supposed to be over there. They know. So, look, he's ten. If he's okay with it, and Elizabeth is okay with it—fine."

**Webber Home: Cameron's Bedroom**

Cameron was hunched over his desk, grimacing at his notes on cellular respiration, wishing he could draw like his brother or mother. Every time he tried to draw a cell in his notebook, it looked like insanely stupid squiggles.

His phone lit up with a text from Emma Scorpio-Drake, and he stared at it for a moment. He'd avoided talking to Joss, Oscar, or Trina that morning. He didn't know what to say to them. They didn't know about the scene at his house last night, and Cameron didn't really want to get into it.

He didn't even know how _he_ felt about it. He'd been terrified for himself, for his brothers—then for his mother. It had worked out, but he'd had a nightmare last night that she hadn't made it to the safe, that Franco had taken that bat and—

He squeezed his eyes shut, exhaled carefully. It didn't happen. She was okay, and Franco was gone. His mom knew she'd been wrong, that she'd made a mistake, and that was what mattered.

Cameron picked up the phone and read Emma's text.

_hey u. mom is freaking out, dad says ur mom isnt calling him. call me. im worried._

Maybe he _could_ tell Emma. She was three thousand miles away in Berkeley — and she wasn't that close to Joss. She didn't know Oscar, and if he asked her not to say anything to Trina, she'd listen.

"You actually called!" she said with a beaming smile as their Facetime call connected. "What's going on? What's the deal? Why isn't your mom taking Dad's calls? You know he worries—"

"Uh—" Cameron pinched the bridge of his nose. "I don't know where to start, Em. I guess maybe with the easy stuff. Mom is convinced the new guy is Jason, but you know, there was that Jake Doe stuff, so who knows. She's gonna help figure things out. Um, there was some other stuff that happened last night. With Franco. That's probably why she didn't call your dad back."

"We watched the videos. Dad enjoyed them, but Mom was worried about your mom and all of that." Emma hesitated. "What happened?"

"There was…a thing," Cameron said. "He came back while we were watching it, and Mom wasn't here. We sort of—um, we got into it, and I don't know—it was—Mom stopped it—"

"Stopped what?" Her voice sharpened. "Cameron."

"He wanted the iPad to see the video—but I thought—if he sees the video, it'll make it worse, and it's just me and the kids. I don't know if I can get them out of here or if they're okay enough to run if I tell them to go—so I just—I stalled. I tried to keep it from him—but he pushed me, and we shoved each other—then he grabbed my shirt—" Cameron leaned back in his chair. "I'm okay, Em. My mom came back. You know that bat she keeps in the umbrella stand."

"Yeah. Did she bash his brains in?"

"No, but she kept him off guard and got to the safe where apparently she has a gun. Jason got it for her back when they were dating, and she got him to leave. I'm fine."

"You keep saying that, but it's not true. How can you be _fine_? An evil serial killer that your mother was dating went after you last night, and your mom had to threaten to shoot him. Like, it's _okay_ to be messed up about it, Cam."

"I can't—there's no time for that," Cameron said. "Okay? There's all this crap happening with this Jason stuff. If this guy _is_ Jason, then the other guy isn't. Jake needs to handle that, so I need to be there. And Aiden's going through crap with Charlotte, so I gotta handle that. And this other guy might be Oscar's dad, so I gotta keep Joss under control with that because you know how she is—"

"Cameron."

"And if I don't keep it together, Mom will just feel worse, and I don't want her to feel bad—"

"She _should_ ," Emma snapped. "She's the one who brought him home. Like, come on, Cam, you know I love Aunt Elizabeth, but she made this happen—"

"No, you don't get it! You haven't been here! You don't _know_!" Cameron scowled. "It's easy for you to say that crap. You're off in California without a damn problem—"

"That's not fair—"

"You don't know what my mom's been dealing with, okay? She needs me to be okay with this—"

"What about what _you_ need, Cam?"

"What _I_ need," he said, carefully, "is for my family to be okay. If Jake, Aiden, and Mom are okay, I'll be fine. I know you're worried about me, but you don't have to be. Mom handled it. She took my side, she didn't even let him try to explain except to distract him—and she kicked him right out and got the security changed. It'd be worse if she were thinking about giving him another chance. It's over. She _made_ it over."

"Franco might be gone, but that doesn't mean it's over. Cameron, please—did you tell Joss or Trina? _Tell_ me you called Trina."

"No. And I'm not going to. It's done, Em. We're moving onto the next crisis."

"Okay," Emma said slowly, but he could see she didn't really believe him. It was more like she was dropping it because she knew she wouldn't win. "So the next crisis is the Jason stuff."

"Yeah, Mom thinks the Cassadines are back up to their crap, and she's worried about Jake. This is too close to all that Nurse's Ball stuff, you know? To what happened to Jake."

"When will they know which one is which?"

"Don't know. Sometime this week, I think. Mom didn't really get into it. She was, uh, distracted."

"I'll bet. Well, look, keep me in the loop, Cam. About it all. And if you need to talk to anyone, I'm always here."

"I know. I'll see you later."

"See you later."

**Safe House: Front Porch**

He hadn't thought much about the house other than the fact it was there, and that almost no one would know about it. He knew it would establish some sort of credibility with Sonny, give him a leg to stand on if Sonny hadn't believed him.

Jason hadn't thought about why he'd bought the safe house or the last time he'd been there. Not until Elizabeth's car pulled up at the curb and she stepped up to the front walk, stopping just before the steps that led up to the porch, and just stared at the house.

Then he _did_ remember. He'd found this house and brought Elizabeth here so they could start making decisions about security together.

He wondered if she'd ever made it to Italy.

Jason pushed open the front door and stepped out to greet her. "Uh, hey."

"Hey." Elizabeth exhaled slowly, staring at him as he came down the steps to stand next to her on the walk and she continued to stare at him. "I'm sorry. I think—I think maybe I had let myself think that I was wrong. Or that I hadn't—I don't know." She put her hands into the pockets of her coat. "But you're standing in front of me, and it's so clearly you—God—" She closed her eyes, took a deep breath. "I'm sorry."

"Why are _you_ sorry?" he asked, frowning slightly. He gestured for her to go up the stairs, but she didn't move. "Elizabeth—"

"I don't know. For not knowing you were out there? For not seeing that he wasn't you? For thinking he was for a minute?" She bit her lip. "For a thousand things, maybe."

"I don't blame any of you—"

"You should," she insisted. "You should blame us for not knowing and for not coming to find you, okay? Because I blame me. And I'm sure Sonny does." She shook her head. "Never mind. Never mind. That's not important. Um, I know I'm early. Sonny said we were meeting around one, but—"

"It's fine. I wanted to talk to you about Jake. I want to know everything. How he came home, how is he, what's his favorite color—" Every minute of every day of Jake's life since he'd been home if that was even something that was possible.

"Yeah. Yeah, anything. All of it. I could talk about him for hours, but there's—" She took a breath. "We should go in, I guess." She turned back to look at the house. "You kept the house."

"I—I didn't think about it," he admitted as she finally went upstairs, following him to the front door, and over the threshold. "It's not even in my name, but in one of the holding companies for the warehouse. And since we never—"

He almost said, _We never used it_ , but then she turned to look at him, standing just behind the sofa, looking nearly as she had nine years earlier when she'd stood in this room and they'd talked about what life would be like when they came home from Italy.

And then they'd gone upstairs.

They had definitely usd the house that day.

"It's fine. It's weird," Elizabeth admitted, "but it's fine." She stripped off her coat and tossed it over the back of the sofa. "Um, look, that aside, I don't want to put anything on your plate that you need to worry about. You've got so much going on, and I want to help. I _am_ going to help as much you and Sonny let me—" she added, "which I know won't be much, but something happened last night that you need to know about because it concerns Jake and I want you to be part of his life."

"Okay." He put his hands in the pockets of his jeans. "What's up?"

"God, I hate this," she muttered. "You just came home, and there's all this other stuff, and here I am dumping this on you but I have to—"

"Elizabeth."

She stopped and focused on him, their eyes meeting. He held her gaze for a moment before speaking again. "Sonny reminded me last night that it's been five years since I went off that pier. It doesn't feel that way to me. It barely feels like six months, even though I've been awake at least that long. I know there's a lot I don't know. I appreciate that no one wants to push too much at me, but if there's something bothering you—if something is wrong with Jake—I want to know." He paused. "I _need_ to know."

"Right. Well—long story short—I was dating Franco, he was living with me, and he got into a fight last night with Cameron in front of the boys. A physical fight," Elizabeth added as Jason's body tensed. "I got home just before—I don't know. I grabbed a bat, distracted him long enough to get to a gun, and Franco left. But Jake and Aiden—they were there for part of it, they heard me fire a warning shot—then Sonny and Michael came over to change the security."

"I—" Jason stared at her. Whatever he'd been expecting her to say, it wasn't _that._ "Franco went after Cameron."

"The fight at the Metro Court—it's all over the internet, and Cameron—they were watching it. I guess Franco tried to take the tablet from him, and Cam didn't give it to him—it's—I'm not making excuses, okay, don't—" she began when Jason narrowed his eyes. "It's not like it was with Lucky. Or Ewan," she muttered. "Or Ric."

"Okay. Then—"

"If Cameron hadn't been in the room, if the boys hadn't been in the house, I would have killed him," Elizabeth told him. "I promise you that much. And we're not getting into the insanity of me dating him in the first place—"

"No, but I'd like to come back to that at some point so someone can explain to me why he's alive, much less why he was in your life. Or Carly's," he added. He paused. "I have questions."

"I know. And I'll answer them. But for now—I just—this happened in front of Jake. Because of the fight last night, and I'm just—I'm trying—"

"Is Cameron okay?" Jason demanded. "Was he hurt?"

"Oh." She blinked at him. "No, I don't—he wasn't. Not physically. I know he was scared, but he's not ready to talk about it. He's going to ignore it and pretend all of us matter more. It's what he always does. He takes care of his brothers. His first thought was for them, to make sure they were okay. He's home with them now, trying to keep Jake distracted from all of us this until I can figure out how to talk to him about it."

She paused. "But no, I don't think he's okay. And it's my fault. I know it's my fault—"

"I didn't mean—" He scrubbed his hands over his face. "I didn't mean it to sound like that. I just—it's hard for me to remember Cameron is sixteen now."

"I've been here every day and it's hard for me, too. Thank you. For asking about him. It makes me sick that I put him through that. I'll never forgive myself for it."

"Elizabeth—"

She shook her head. "Don't. Don't say something that makes it okay. Felix tried it, and I know he's right. I know there's a lot of things that led to last night, and there's a lot of reasons I was in that situation, but at the end of the day, I am _all_ Cameron has, and it's on me to protect him. I didn't do it."

He wasn't going to argue with her about it—he didn't know the situation, but he knew her. She'd blame herself until she was sick from it, and he'd just have to keep an eye on her. It was almost a relief to know there was something he could focus on that wasn't the insanity of his situation. Elizabeth's ability to believe the best in literally everyone _except_ herself would never change.

"You fired a warning shot?" he asked. "Have you been practicing?"

"Actually, no," Elizabeth said with a hesitant smile. "Not since the last time you took me to the range. I didn't even know if I'd remember. But I got the bat you gave me back when I got kidnapped—I keep it in the umbrella stand by the door," she added, "but with the boys in the house, I knew it wouldn't work."

"No, the bat is just for you take the guy out at the knees and make a run for it."

"Exactly, but I remembered how to open the safe." Her eyes lit up. "You made me do it over and over again, remember? I did it faster than you did, though. It had to be, I guess, or maybe it just felt that way. And then when I shot at his feet—"

"Probably shouldn't do that," Jason said with wince. "The bullet could have ricocheted."

Her eyes widened. "Oh, I didn't think about that. It's just in my floor now. Sonny said he'd get someone to come over and help take care of it."

"I knew he was up to something last night," Jason muttered. "Taking Michael on security calls. I _knew_ that was bullshit." He paused. "No more warning shots. Just aim for the chest next time."

"I'm not planning on there being next time," Elizabeth said, wrinkling her nose, "so maybe I'll just focus on making better choices." She sighed. "That'd be a first."

"Elizabeth—"

"Never mind. We don't have a lot of time before Sonny and the others get here, and—" She reached for the bag she'd set on the ground when she came in. "I brought photos of Jake. I thought you might want to see them."

"Yeah." Jason nodded, relieved to focus on anything else. "I absolutely do."


	9. Chapter Eight

_Through no light the darkness seems to be_  
 _So very strong_  
 _How does one alone against the world_  
 _Find the strength to carry on?_  
 _What happened to the way we used to love_  
 _It seemed as though life had just begun_  
 _But now that love has come and gone to fade away_  
 _Like the setting sun_  
 _'Cause you won't let me in_  
\- Let Me In, Save Ferris

* * *

_July 2012_

**Camp Leatherneck, Helmand Province, Afghanistan**

He was practically bathing in his own sweat, and there was no escape from the searing heat most of the time. This time of the year, the temperatures soared above a hundred degrees during the day, and rarely dipped below eighty even at night, and the air was so dry that he almost choked on his own spit several times a day.

He hated this fucking tour, and when he went home in December, he was determined to pull rank. This was his last sojourn to the fucking desert.

Drew Cain wiped his forehead as he stepped outside of his quarters into the slightly cooler air of the desert night—by maybe five degrees but there were some nights when he needed that.

He believed in his job most of the time—believed in his country, but ten years of fighting the fight here in Afghanistan—he was starting to wonder just who the good guys were. They should have been done with the day his team finished the job on Bin Laden. That had been a hell of an operation, and Drew was proud he'd been part of the team that had taken down the mastermind behind 9/11.

Cara had given birth to Oscar a month after the Towers fell and the plane had crashed into the Pentagon, and they'd both wanted to make a better world for their son. He'd be ten in October. Another birthday Drew would miss stuck in this godforsaken hellhole.

Cara had been gone for years, but he had Kim now. He wanted more kids. He was still young enough. He was going to retire, go home, finish raising Oscar—

After this tour, things were gonna—

There was _click_ or a _snick_ —just a sound that didn't sound right. Drew scowled and turned towards the sound, squinting—the lights of his quarters didn't reach that far. "Who the hell is there—" he began. Another sound—this from the other side—

He spun around, and then something exploded behind him—the lights flashed in front of his eyes—

And then he didn't know anything at all.

**Webber Home: Living Room**

"I think you're just a sore loser."

Cameron scowled into the mic on his headset. "Don't start with me, asshole. You're just mad because you can't buy yourself any talent."

"Oh, hey, that's harsh," Oscar pointed out as the third person on their team just sputtered in outrage. "Didn't that evil guy steal his money?"

"He merely appropriated it for a moment," Spencer Cassadine sniffed—Cameron could just imagine the little prince in his London boarding school, acting all high and mighty. Whatever. Cameron could kick anyone's ass in Call of Duty.

"You'll get it back," Emma said, always nice to the underdog, and Spencer certainly was that. Valentin had gotten away with not only murdering Spencer's father but stealing his inheritance. Since then, Emma had stopped treating him like the annoying pissant that he so clearly was and started being nice to him.

She'd always been a pushover.

"Look, just watch me dance in glory as I finish kicking your ass—"

"CAMERON!"

Cam blinked at his brother's voice, then turned to look at the door where he saw that Jake was standing with it open, Michael at his doorstep. "Oh. Hey. I didn't—wait—" He turned back to the headset. "Hey, Oscar, finish kicking Em and Spencer's ass for me. I gotta go."

"No problem."

Cam signed off, exited the game, and took off his headset. "Sorry, sometimes when Spencer and I get going—"

"Yeah, it's fine." Michael stepped inside, and closed the door. "Your mom already head over to the house?"

"Yeah. She went early to talk to Jason about—" He paused. "To talk about last night." He looked at his brothers. "Uh, did you need her or—"

"No, I wanted to check in on you. All of you. You know, since we belong to the very exclusive club of Sons of Moms who Dated Franco," Michael said, wryly. He took off his jacket and sat down in the armchair.

Uncomfortable, Cam went over to sit on the sofa, and Aiden climbed up next to him. Jake sat on the arm of the sofa. "We're fine."

"You know, it was hard for me when my mom brought Franco home. Harder maybe because it was five seconds after he'd had the tumor taken out. We had zero evidence for his change in personality, and she was ready to give him the benefit of the doubt," Michael continued. He paused. "Plus, I guess it was hard for me because of my history with Franco."

Cameron slid a look over at his brothers. "Guys, can you head upstairs for a while? I'll fill you in later."

"You're sixteen," Jake said, narrowing his eyes. "You don't get to cut me out of adult stuff. I'm ten. I'll be eleven, and that's basically a grown up."

"Not even close. You're not even allowed to have a YouTube account until you're thirteen. Upstairs, okay?"

"Fine," Jake muttered. "But I'm taking the Switch, and Aiden and I are gonna play Zelda, so suck it."

"Yeah, yeah, just start a new save game." Cameron waited for them to go upstairs—listened for the door to close, before looking at Michael. "I'm sorry. I just—I'm not sure Aiden even knows Franco kidnapped him."

"No, I should have thought about that. I'm sorry. I just—I wanted to help."

"No, I'm fine." Cameron paused. "I didn't—I didn't know you had a history with Franco. I mean, other than that—do you mean the wedding? When—"

"When he played that video revealing what Sonny had done to my dad? No, that's—" Michael scratched his cheek. "You know I was in prison a while ago. You were young—like nine or ten so maybe—"

"Jason went to protect you," Cameron said. "I remember because Mom was really worried about it."

"Yeah, well he didn't get there fast enough." Michael waited a minute, gathered himself. "Before he got there, another inmate—he, ah, well—" He closed his eyes. "You think this is supposed to get easier—"

"Michael, I appreciate—"

"No, I can—it's hard to say it out loud, but it's important that I do. Another inmate raped me," Michael said finally. "And he did it on Franco's orders."

Cameron stared at the older man for a long time, then swallowed hard. "He…on Franco—"

"Later, when Franco came to town with those DVDs, he made it seem like he'd asked this guy to look out for me but that it hadn't gone the way he wanted. I don't know. I never bought it."

"But—your mom—she almost married him. I thought—I thought my mom, after Aiden, but—"

"I know. I try to see it from her point of view and everything because Mom always does insane things. You wouldn't believe some of the stuff she's pulled. But this one—it hurt," he admitted. "And it was hard for me to see past it. Sometimes I don't know if I have. I also know a little bit about being the oldest kid." He met Cameron's eyes. "Feeling like there's no room for you to have your own problems because someone else needs you."

His throat tight, Cameron looked down at his hands. "I'm okay," he repeated. "Mom took care of it."

"I know. Because as much as our mothers annoy the crap out of each other, they'll fight to death for their kids. That matters. Some kids aren't that lucky. I know my mother loves me, and I know how much Elizabeth loves you guys. But at the same time, Cameron—"

Cameron looked up when Michael didn't continue. "What?"

"It's okay to be angry with her."

"I'm not—"

"You don't even have to tell her," Michael said. "Maybe it's better if you don't. I don't know. But if you ever want to say it out loud to someone who won't say anything, I'm here."

"Did you tell Joss about last night?"

"Do you see her on the front porch or clinging to my back bumper?" Michael said dryly. "No. I assume that if you want Joss to know, you'll tell her. Now, it might get back to her, but it might not. I know Sonny wanted your mom to tell Jason, but it goes without saying he's not telling anyone."

"I don't—I don't think I want Joss to know. At least not yet," Cameron admitted. "Because maybe I am angry," he said quietly. "Just a little."

Michael was quiet as Cameron sorted through his thoughts and how something unclenched in his stomach to say it out loud. "Does my mom know what happened to you?"

"Yeah. I know Jason told her. And so did my mom."

"And what happened to Lulu and Maxie and Sam and Aiden—" Cameron took a deep breath. "And to your mom—to everyone he ever hurt. And she brought him home to my brothers. I can take care of myself, but Jake and Aiden—"

"You matter, too, Cam. Elizabeth brought him home to you the same way Mom brought him home to us."

"I guess. I know Mom was going through a lot, and I saw it. I know she wanted to be happy. He was nice to her at first," Cameron said. "And I didn't mind him at first. I didn't know."

"But at some point, he stopped being nice, but she didn't notice it," Michael said. "And he started being mean and controlling, but he made it sound like he was doing her a favor by even sticking around. Yeah, I know. I watched it happen to my mother. And I couldn't fix it. I couldn't protect her."

"My mom made him go. She didn't even blink." Cameron's stomach relaxed even more. "She grabbed that baseball bat, and she would have bashed his head in. She would have killed him last night. She took my side. The first time I needed her to."

"I'm glad." Michael got to his feet. "I need to head over to the meeting, but I mean it, Cam. You're my cousin, too—"

"No—"

"Don't pull the same bullshit you try with Laura or Grandma Monica," Michael said. "They might let you get away with it, but I won't. I'm not talking about you being Jake and Aiden's brother. I'm talking about you being Elizabeth's son, and Emily loving you like a nephew. She was my aunt, too, Cam. I remember that, even if you don't."

"I do—" Cameron paused. "I remember her."

"She would have wanted you to have someone looking out for you. And like I said, no one understands taking care of insane relatives like I do. Just be glad you don't have a Carly," he pointed out as he put his coat on.

"No, but we both have a Joss," Cameron said with a half a grin as he followed Michael to the door. "Hey, Michael—"

"Yeah?"

"Are you—I mean, are you still angry with your mom?" Cameron. "That—it goes away, right?"

Michael pressed his lips together as he considered the question. "I'll let you know."

**Baldwin House: Living Room**

Scott Baldwin stood at the foot of the sofa and scowled at his eldest child, the bane of his existence ninety percent of the time, as the idiot was stretched out on the sofa, his head twisted towards the television, watching something stupid on the screen.

"You gonna tell me what dumbass thing you said to Elizabeth to get her to kick you out? I mean, she's got all this crap going on, and you probably picked a stupid fight—"

Franco turned his head slightly to glower at him. "It wasn't dumb, and if she'd stopped to listen to me for a second, she'd understand how it happened. But she's probably making sure the new Jason knows she's single."

Scott furrowed his brow. "Don't talk about her that way. She's stood by you through worse, you moron, and she deserves respect. There aren't a lot of women who'd let you move in with her kids—"

"You'd be surprised." Franco sat up. "Carly did. And Nina wanted to actually have a kid with me—"

"Yeah, and how did that work out for you?" Scott demanded. "You're laying on my damn couch feeling sorry for yourself." He picked up Franco's feet and dropped them on the floor. "So what is this crap about Jason Morgan having a twin?"

"Why does _everyone_ want to talk about Jason Morgan?" Franco muttered. He shoved himself to his feet and stalked over to the window. "There are two of them. Probably twins. Heather's story wasn't a lie, she was just playing around about who the twin was."

Scott squinted. "You know, I never understood that whole twin thing. There's no way Susan wouldn't have used that. She got a trust fund for Jason, and would have jumped at the chance to get double the money." And he'd have drained them both, he thought with a wisp of shame. Well, that was water under the bridge.

"Hmm, I always forget you were Jason's stepfather for a hot minute." Franco folded his arms. "What was that like?"

"Fine. He was a quiet kid." Scott scratched the back of his neck. "Thank God Alan wanted him, I didn't know what the hell would have happened if I'd been stuck with him. I barely understood how to raise Serena, and that took another decade."

"Touching." Franco paused. "You didn't know there was another kid?"

"No. And Susan sure as hell didn't. Heather must have gotten something in her head, maybe trying to make her own play for it. Not that she'd tell us. Even if she could remember, crazy bitch," Scott muttered. He cleared his throat. "Look, about Elizabeth, just apologize, make it clear you were wrong—"

"I wasn't wrong," Franco retorted. "Thanks for taking my side, Pops!"

"Well, why don't you tell me what the hell happened? Because it's usually your fault. Plus, we're men. When the women we love are mad, we just apologize and move on. It's easier."

"Uh huh." Franco nodded. "How many times have you been married?"

"Don't start—"

"No, no, I _love_ taking advice from someone who's been married nearly as many times as Elizabeth Taylor."

"Ah, forget it," Scott muttered. "Elizabeth Webber is the best thing that's ever happened to you, and if you're gonna let something stupid get between you, maybe you deserve what you get."

"Don't worry, Pop." Franco put his hands in his pockets, then rocked back on his heels. "I know Elizabeth. This Jason thing—it's a cycle. She chases him, he lets her catch him, then he dumps her, and this time, I'll be there."

Scott made a face. "Uh, so you're not going to apologize?"

"She needs a few days to cool down," Franco said. "I'll apologize, then I'll let her go do this crap with Morgan one more time. No one knows Elizabeth like I do. I'll be there when it falls apart."

There was something about the way Franco said those words that made Scott very uncomfortable, but he wasn't willing to think about that too much. So he put it away and went back to the kitchen.

**Safe House: Living Room**

Jason frowned when Sonny came through the door, followed by Michael a few minutes later. He looked past them, to the street, then turned back to them. "Where's Carly? I didn't—"

"You _did_ tell her to come, didn't you?" Michael asked his dad as he took off his coat and hung up by the door.

"I did, but, uh," Sonny scratched the side of his nose. "It was this morning after we had that thing in the kitchen," he told Jason. "You were irritated with her, and she was already irritated by Elizabeth—" gesturing at the woman sitting at the table by the windows, a stack of albums at her side. Elizabeth frowned.

"What did _I_ do?"

"Knowing Mom, you breathed," Michael muttered.

"And I might have mentioned about not wanting her here. I thought if I told her _you_ wanted her here," Sonny told Elizabeth, "she'd be nicer to you—"

"Oh, well, _that_ was stupid." Elizabeth rolled her eyes. "How many years have you known Carly and you still don't know how to deal with her?"

"It's fine. I'll figure it out later. She's just mad because of the Ava thing," Sonny said to Jason. "And I know you don't want to hear about it—"

"What Ava thing?" Michael asked with a scowl. "How did she get her nose into this?"

Jason looked from Sonny to Michael, then back to Sonny. "What's the problem with Ava?"

"How much time do you have?" Michael demanded. "She can't be trusted. Don't give her an inch, Jase. I mean it."

"Well, wait—" Elizabeth paused. "Why are we talking about Ava at all? You never knew her, Jason. She moved to town the year after you disappeared."

"In Russia," Jason said, taking a seat back the table. He waited until Michael and Sonny joined him. "When I woke up in the clinic, it was a few months before I was strong enough to move. And even when I could, I didn't want the doctors to know it. I wanted them to think I was still not all the way there. They kept a mask on me so I couldn't talk to anyone, and they'd—" He paused, looking down his wrists, expecting to see the ties there. "They tied me down to the bed, or later, to the wheelchair."

"The clinic," Elizabeth said. "Griffin said that Ava had gone to Russia—" Her eyes widened. "Oh, my God, _you're_ the man he helped. He said he gave a man money in a church—"

"You know him?" Jason asked. "I want to thank him. He—and the priest—stuck their neck out for me back there. So did Ava. She distracted Klein and the other doctors so that I could escape."

"Griffin said there was something hinky about the clinic," Elizabeth said. She looked at Sonny. "Ava can't be trusted, but you know Griffin can. He had to break Ava out of there. They were going to keep her locked up. She was terrified, Griffin said, but neither of them knew anything about the guy she'd helped get out. Only that he had some sort of connection to Port Charles. And to Sonny. Because you gave her a number to call," she told Jason, "and she recognized it as Sonny's."

"So she didn't know who you were," Sonny said, "but she knew you were connected to me. I _told_ you."

"She still risked her life," Michael said. "She didn't have to do that. She could have called you, Dad. I'm not saying we give Ava any credit, but we should also just acknowledge it." He looked at Jason. "You said between the time you went off the pier and the time you woke up in the clinic, you don't remember anything."

"Nothing," Jason said with a shake of his head. "The only reason I think it was April is the calendar in my room. They changed it when it got to May."

"So maybe this is the part where we tell you what happened after you disappeared," Sonny said. "At least the highlights. We'll fill in the details as we go." He scrubbed his hand over his face. "So first, Bernie's body was found on the docks. They found blood smears on the docks, so we knew you'd gone in the water."

He could remember that sinking feeling as the water had surrounded him, the water dragging him down—

"Spinelli searched for days," Elizabeth murmured. "Long after PCPD and the Coast Guard gave up. He couldn't stand the thought of you—" She took a deep breath. "But I think it was in December when the PCPD closed the case officially. We knew by then that the man who was posing as Duke Lavery was actually Cesar Faison."

"Why the hell—" Jason frowned. "Duke coming after the territory made some sense," he admitted. "He was connected to the Jeromes, and in the mob. We knew that. But if it was Faison—"

"I don't know. We never did figure that part out," Sonny admitted. "Faison disappeared, and we just—I think we just let it go."

"A year later—" Michael paused. "We found out that Robin was alive. Dad told you about that?"

"He said it was connected, but—"

"I'm not sure how," Sonny said. He looked to Elizabeth. "Maybe you know more?"

"Faison faked her death to get to Anna—that's why he posed as Duke," she explained. "Robin said he quizzed her about Duke's life, but she fed him some false info to trip him up. She was held somewhere in Europe." She met Jason's eyes. "Ewen helped arrange that. He was working with Jerry Jacks and, later, it turned out Faison and Obrecht. She's a crazy doctor who was obsessed with Faison," she added.

"Ewen was involved in Robin's kidnapping?" Jason grimaced. "I should have shot him more."

"Agreed. Faison was caught at that point, and we thought he was in a WSB prison, and Robin was home. It seemed like that was over." Elizabeth paused. "Then Victor Cassadine showed up. According to Anna and Robert, he'd been the director of research at the WSB for a while and he got promoted to run the agency."

"I don't remember a Victor Cassadine—"

"There were three Cassadines brothers," Elizabeth told Jason. "Mikkos, Anthony, and Victor. Anthony—or I think Luke said he was mostly Tony—he was kind of a playboy. You know, the kind that travels on yachts and uses his money to enjoy life. He was a jewel thief, and arranged to steal the Ice Princess for Mikkos. He was engaged to Alexandra Quartermaine right around the time you were born, I think." She bit her lip. "It's been a while since I—Luke and Laura gave me the crash course back during Endgame."

"Endgame—" Jason frowned. "What—" He saw Michael looking equally mystified.

"That's right. Helena had a cute name for that whole trying to kill everyone and raise the dead thing," Sonny said. "I hate the Cassadines."

"Same," Elizabeth agreed with a sigh. "Anyway. Tony and Alexandra ended up being frozen to death in the same machine that killed Mikkos. I think Nikolas said Victor went to prison for a while, but the WSB got him out. He might have been DVX for a while, but a lot of those agents—they ended up with WSB because of their skill set."

Michael shook his head. "What—" He put up his hands. "DVX? What the frick—"

"Port Charles was crazy in the eighties," Elizabeth said with half a smile. "I remember visiting during the summers when I was a kid and listening to everyone talking about it. Later when I was dating Lucky, it was kind of fascinating, so I was always asking Luke questions. He never thought I was too young."

"Victor Cassadine was in charge of WSB. What does he have to do with Robin?"

"He wanted her to bring Stavros and Helena back from the dead," Elizabeth told Jason, getting the conversation back on track. "Robin was about tell him to fuck all the way off, except—well, he had a card to play. He said he had you. Robin could bring you home but she had to help him."

Jason sat back. "When was this?"

"February 2014. Robin left—but we didn't know why. We thought she'd left and gone to Africa. It was awful for a while, and she and Patrick got divorced. Victor got her to the lab and refused to let her leave. Then it was Helena was holding her hostage. And the man she woke up—they escaped from the lab later that year. August, I think. Or September. Robin said it was you. Your face, your voice. Your memories," Elizabeth told him. "Robin was convinced. They separated when they got to Port Charles, but Helena grabbed her before she could get to her mother."

"And the other guy was coming to me," Sonny continued. "Only he got hit by Jordan Ashford, and got his face smashed in."

"He was brought to the ER the night I was on duty, and it was—" Elizabeth pressed her lips together. "It was the strangest thing. It was like he knew me. Like I knew him. When he woke up from facial construction, he didn't remember anything, but he picked the name Jake."

"He…Jake."

"It _was_ strange," Michael remembered. "Because Jake Doe connected with some of us right away. I talked to him in the hospital when—" He looked at Sonny, then swallowed. "We were going through things. And he was kind to me. And, Elizabeth, it was like you'd known each other for years."

"I know. He even got along with Carly," Elizabeth continued. "But other people—it was like oil and water. He and Sam were always at each other's throats, and you two—" She met Sonny's eyes. "You just hated each other."

"I think it's interesting to think back to that, knowing what we know now," Sonny said, "and maybe it'll be something we need to think about. But let's talk about how we found out who he was."

"The other reason I'm here," Elizabeth said with a sigh. Michael reached over to squeeze her hand. "Thanks. Uh, well, Faison was caught that fall, but someone broke him out of the PCPD. This guy broke into the department, held Sam hostage, shot a cop, and then got away without even blinking."

"And it was this Jake Doe?" Jason asked.

"Yeah. Sam eventually remembered it, and I thought she was insane. You know, it's not like I listen to Sam anyway," Elizabeth admitted, "but this just—there was no way. Until we caught Jake setting a bomb at the Haunted Star where he was working as a bartender."

"I don't understand—"

"Helena put a chip in his head," Sonny said flatly. "To put him under control. Elizabeth figured it out and got him free of those charges."

"Yeah, well, that was the easy part. Around this time, Helena told Nikolas that Jake Doe was you. Nikolas kept it to himself for months." Elizabeth pressed her hand to her chest. "Of course, now knowing what we know now—did he really know what was going on or did she lie to him?"

"Did Nikolas tell everyone—"

"No." Elizabeth sighed. "He told me a few months later. The night of Nurse's Ball." She looked down at the table for a moment, then raised her eyes to meet Jason's. "Jake and I were—well, it's complicated. But Nikolas told me so that I didn't get in any deeper. And I didn't tell anyone."

Sonny scrubbed his hand over his mouth as the room fell into silence. Jason frowned for a long moment, then squinted. "You didn't tell anyone."

"No. I was happy. Jake was good to me, and he wasn't really like you. I know everyone thinks I did it because I thought he was you, and maybe it was part of it, but _you_ know Jake Doe was not Jason," Elizabeth said to Sonny.

"I do, Elizabeth. It was a long time ago—"

"So I lied. And then in July, Lucky brought Jake home. My Jake. Our son. He was alive. And Helena had had him all that time. And I still lied. Carly figured it out. She ran a reconstruction on Jake's face, it came up as you, and she ran to stop our wedding. Eventually the truth came out, and Jake got his memories back. Or he got your memories. Or something. Whatever it is—he's not part of it. He has to be a victim, too," Elizabeth insisted.

"Sure. Probably. I will say it does feel like something changed after he said he got his memories back," Sonny told Jason. "And something about the way Jake came home has always bothered me."

"How did it happen?" Jason asked.

"Lucky got some sort of hint that Helena was up to something. He started to follow it up, and when he stopped calling Aiden, I contacted Luke. Luke went after him, found Helena in Greece with Jake. And Helena just gave him Jake."

"Gave him—" Jason shook his head. Of all the things he'd heard so far—this made the least amount of sense. "Why—if she faked his death, kept him all this time—"

"And that's what makes me wonder about Jason being able to wake up from that coma around the same time that crap was happening with Jake," Sonny told Elizabeth. "It can't be a coincidence that Jason is waking up in Russia at the same time Jake nearly killed us all with one of Helena's plans."

"What?" Jason demanded. "What happened?"

"Jake got a box of magic tricks last year," Elizabeth said softly. "He put together an act for the Nurse's Ball, but something was going on his head. He was scared to tell me, but he was hearing Helena's voice. She was telling him to kill us all. The night of the ball, he was supposed to perform a trick that would have unleashed a chemical weapon that would have killed everyone in the room."

Jason exhaled slowly, taking that information in, filing it with everything else he knew. "How did it—what happened?"

"Jason—Jake—Drew—I don't know what to call him," Elizabeth said with a shake of her head. "But we talked to him, and we were able to stop it. Some men broke into the ballroom, stole it, but Valentin supposedly stopped him and the weapon is with the WSB."

"Yeah, but didn't Valentin have some sort of connection to that?" Michael asked.

"He's the one that stole it from the WSB in the first place. It was nicknamed for the Chimera for the hallucinations you're supposed to see when you're dying. He sold it to Helena."

"And I think," Sonny said, looking at Jason, "that mostly fills in the blanks between your dive off the pier and coming home."

"Mostly," Jason said slowly. "That is…a lot, but you're right. If this was happening to Jake at the same time—maybe I didn't wake up from that coma on my own. Maybe someone woke me up."

"Maybe. The question is what do we do now?" Elizabeth asked.

Sonny cleared his throat. "Well, you know, I appreciate everything, Elizabeth, but—"

"She stays," Jason said flatly, surprising all three of them as they focused on him. "If she wants."

"Jason—"

"I want," Elizabeth said quickly. She flashed him a grateful smile before looking at Sonny. "Look, I know a lot more than what I've told you about the Cassadines, and _I'm_ the only one of us who's gone against Helena and won. I know she's dead, but with her—death does not matter. You know that. And if there's a chance that bitch is still coming for my son from beyond the grave, I'm not sitting this out. Let me help, Sonny. You can trust me."

"It's not—I just—" Sonny shook his head. "Never mind. Jason says you stay. You stay." He took a deep breath. "Any suggestions for what we do next?"

"Information," Elizabeth suggested. "I'm sure you've got Spinelli working on the clinic and that doctor, right?"

"Yeah, we called him this morning."

"Then we need to call Luke and Lucky."

Jason scowled. "I know you said that yesterday," he said to Sonny, "but I don't really want to deal with them—"

"I'm not that interested in seeing Luke either," Elizabeth said. "But at the end of the day, they're Spencers. Cassadine hunting is in their blood."

"What about Valentin? He's in this up to his damn eyeballs," Michael muttered. "He's gotta be the one who was holding Jason—"

"Valentin sent Ava to the clinic," Elizabeth reminded them. "I mean, I agree he's in this, but I don't know if it that's simple."

"No, but I always thought it was weird when those guys stole the Chimera. Valentin got the chance to act like the big hero, didn't he?" Sonny said. "He's just not working alone."

"Then we need to know who he's working with," Jason said. "And I want to know everything about him."

"That would be you again," Michael told Elizabeth who made a face. "Did you ever think you'd be the Cassadine Expert?"

"It wasn't the plan for my life," she said dryly. "And I don't know who he'd be working with. Valentin doesn't trust anyone. I don't even think he likes his wife ninety percent of the time. It's hard to see him giving control to someone else, even for a minute."

**General Hospital: Andre's Office**

Andre stared at the text message as it scrolled across his phone.

_Stay calm. Stay quiet. I'll be in touch when I have this under control._

He shoved the phone aside as Valentin's message faded. Did he have a goddamn choice? If he disappeared now—everyone would suspect he was part of it, and he knew—he _knew_ they'd come after him. Someone would. Sonny or Jason. Drew or Curtis. Jordan. Anna and Robert. Valentin.

There was no running from this. At least not yet. Not when no one knew what he'd done.

If he could just keep them from finding out, maybe he'd be able to save himself.


	10. Chapter Nine

_As the sun shines through it pushes away_  
 _And pushes ahead_  
 _It fills the warmth of blue_  
 _And leaves a chill instead and_  
 _I didn't know that I could be_  
 _So blind to all that is real_  
 _But as illusion dies_  
 _I see there is so much to be revealed_  
\- Twilight, Vanessa Carlton

* * *

_December 2012_

**Crichton-Clark Labs: Patient Five's Room**

Andre hadn't considered this part of the experiment—he was disappointed that he hadn't foreseen this complication.

He had wanted to keep himself separate from these men—he'd given them numbers, he'd refused to learn their true names, and he hadn't done anything but look at the hard data produced by the scanning.

But now, he was waiting for Patient Five to emerge from his induced coma, and when he opened his eyes, he would either remember being the Navy SEAL or the mob enforcer. He was hoping for the mob enforcer—that was the point of this entire debacle.

Patient Six was proving to be more of a challenge. Andre never would have selected him as a test subject with that damage to the frontal lobe. He'd been able to map the memories, but he was relatively convinced that implanting Five's memories into his brother would be almost impossible.

"Good. I haven't missed it."

Andre glanced over to find the man in question entering the room. "Victor. I didn't think—"

"Well, it's our first real test of the new protocol, and I also—" the WSB director smiled, folding his arms. "I'm intrigued to see if you were able to implement the suggestions I asked for."

"Yes—" Andre grimaced. "You wanted the scan to focus on certain people, to emphasize them in the implanted memories. There's really no way to know that until we put him into the field—"

"Of course, of course. And this is the first step. We don't want Ja—" When Andre whipped his head to look at Victor, the man smiled again. "Patient Five won't be returning to the field just yet. I want to send them both at the same time, and Six can't return quite yet."

"I thought you wanted them to be returned as soon as possible—"

"I do, but _I_ am not the only partner in this project," Victor said. "Relax, Dr. Maddox—" He nodded at the man stretched out in the bed, watching as the monitors picked up an increasing heartbeat and brain waves, which indicated that he was waking up. "When Five wakes up, we'll see who he thinks he is, and then we'll put him back to sleep and reassess."

Andre clenched his jaw. He'd been looking forward to having Five wake up as the mob enforcer and shipping him to Port Charles. He wanted to have some real, practical evidence—

The man's eyes fluttered, and his head fell to the side. A moment later, he blinked and focused on Andre. "What—what's going…" His voice was rusty and thick from lack of use over the last six months.

"Hello," Andre said, his heart pounding. This was it. This was his moment. "You've had an accident. We need to know who you are so we can contact your family."

"Fam…" Five closed his eyes, then opened again. "Family."

"Yes, do you have a family? A wife? Children? Who can we call? What is your name?" Damn it. Would they need to let him stay awake for a few days to let him get oriented?

"No…children." Five opened his eyes again. "Not anymore."

Andre frowned. Why was that—he turned to Victor, who looked pleased. "I don't know the answer to that," he admitted.

"What's your name?" Victor asked.

"Jason—" Five coughed. "Morgan. Jason Morgan."

"And who should we contact about your accident? Your wife? A family member?"

"Elizabeth," Five mumbled. "Webber." He coughed. "I can't—I can't—everything keeps…"

"Don't worry. We'll take care of everything," Victor said, soothingly. He nodded to Andre. "We have what we need."

"Need—" Five frowned, looked at Andre, who had the syringe in his hand, preparing to insert it into the IV. "What—"

"I'll get you back to your family," Andre told him. "As soon as we can."

"But—" Five's eyes drifted close even as he scowled.

"Well done," Victor murmured. "Our adjustments to his memory _were_ successful."

"What—what do you mean?"

"Jason Morgan," Andre said slowly, nodding at Patient Five, "had a child whom he believes to be dead. Car accident, very tragic—"

"A child—that he _believes_ —" Andre's eyes widened. "Patient Three. I saw those records—it's a five-year-old boy—"

"Yes, yes, Patient Three is his son. What's very interesting is that on the eve of his extraction, he appeared to have reunited with his estranged wife and _her_ child."

Andre did not want to know about this—he _really_ didn't. "This Elizabeth?"

"No. Another woman. She's not important. But Five here—his thoughts when you asked him about family went straight to his lost son and that boy's mother." Victor's lips curved into a smile. "Precisely what we wanted."

"Fine. I don't want to know anymore. I can't—" Oh, God—they'd taken Six, his brother, _and_ his son—

How many people were tied up in this? What the hell had he gotten himself into?

"Now that we're assured the experiment has been completed for Patient Five, it's time to turn our attention to Six."

_Monday, October 30, 2017_

**Morgan Penthouse: Living Room**

Sam blinked in surprise when she found her mother at the dining table when she returned that morning from dropping Danny off at school. "Mom, hey. Did I know you were coming over?"

"No, Jason asked me to come by," Alexis said, drawing off her reading glasses. "We wanted to start, ah," she glanced at him.

"In the unlikely event that these DNA tests we're taking later today come back—" Jason paused, shook his head. "I just need to understand what could happen."

Sam tilted her head to the side. "I don't understand. We _know_ how it's going to come back—"

"I talked to Sonny yesterday," Alexis said. "He met with, uh, your, well, the other guy," she said finally, "on Saturday to talk over his story. And to talk about what's been going on since you went off the pier in 2012."

"So—"

"Well, whatever is happening, it's clear that the Cassadines are involved," Alexis interrupted. "Jason agrees with me."

"Either they brainwashed this guy, or they screwed with my head—" Jason scrubbed his hands over his face. "Elizabeth agreed to test Jake."

"Oh. Well, we thought she would, didn't we?" Sam said. She sat across from her mother, next to Jason, and reached to squeeze his hand. "Thank you for understanding about Danny."

"Elizabeth said that Jake does better in the hospital since he spends time with her there," Alexis continued. "The plan is to test you and this…person," she said. "By the end of the day, we'll have enough markers to know whether or not the twin story is the truth."

"I mean, we're sure that's probably the case, but I can't understand how Victor Cassadine got his hands on Jason or his twin brother when no one knew he existed. No one other than, apparently, Heather Webber."

"Betsy knew," Jason said. "She had to."

Sam grimaced. "Still."

"The advanced testing we're running on Jake might take a few days. We're putting a rush on it," Alexis continued.

"That's much quicker than it used to be," Sam said. "Do you remember when these things took weeks?"

"Technology has come a long way. And, of course, money helps." Alexis scanned her notes. "There's also someone else getting tested today. I'm assuming you haven't talked to him."

"No. Not since this happened." Jason frowned. "Why?"

"The night of the relaunch, when your face was revealed—someone recognized your old face as belonging to their missing father," Alexis told him. She reached into her portfolio and removed a folder. Pinned to the front was a photo of a man in a Navy dress uniform.

Jason stared at it, and Sam's eyes widened. It was Jason—his old face. Exactly his face. "Oh my _God_ —"

"Meet Chief Andrew Cain, a Navy SEAL out of San Diego. Disappeared in July 2012 from Helmand Province, Afghanistan. Married twice. Cara Sanders in 1998. She died in—" Alexis squinted at her notes. "2005. He remarried Kimberly Nero in 2011. One son—"

"Son—" Jason's head snapped up. "Wait. Nero—"

"I know that name—" Sam started.

"Kim kept custody of Drew's son. No family on either side. She changed his last name, and they moved to Port Charles about six months ago. Oscar Elliott Cain, born October 12, 2001. He just turned sixteen."

"Oscar Nero—" Sam picked up the photo of Drew Cain. "My God, you really _do_ have a twin out there," she murmured. "If I didn't know you'd never been in the army—"

"He's being tested today?" Jason asked. "Like Jake—"

"Yes. What it will do is give added weight to the markers. By the end of the day, we expect the DNA to tell us that you and the man from Friday are related. We will also know if one of you is Andrew Cain. And Jordan seems to think she'll have fingerprints from storage by Wednesday. GH thinks they might have the advanced test by then, as well.."

"What about the Navy?" Sam asked. "Wouldn't they have Drew's prints on file—"

"Jordan is also putting in the request. Diane and I are joining it. Either way, it looks like one of us represents Drew Cain."

Jason's mouth tightened. "Diane does—"

"I'm sorry. I'm trying—" Alexis sat back. "I'm trying to make this easier, but I don't think anything ever will." She raised her brows. "Did the name Drew Cain mean anything to you?"

Sam looked at her husband, and he looked down at the photo. When he said nothing, she leaned forward. "Jason."

He blinked at the sound of her voice. "What?"

"The name. You'd never heard it before, had you?"

"Uh, no." Jason took a deep breath. "No, I don't think so." He paused, then focused on Alexis, setting the Cain file aside. "So we'll know by Wednesday. What did Elizabeth tell Jake about the test?"

"Oh. I don't—" Alexis frowned. "The truth, I assume. I got the impression all three boys knew what was happening."

"Does Jake know what side Elizabeth is taking?" Jason asked. "I'm assuming since she hasn't called me, she hasn't changed her mind about _him_."

"Jason, I really—" Alexis cleared her throat. "Look, I think Elizabeth is probably doing the best she can with all of this. Jake is older than Danny, and he was with Cameron and his friends, so she never had a chance to keep it from him—"

"But she doesn't have to make Jake more confused," Sam retorted. "She could have just told him she doesn't know—"

"But she thinks she _does_ know," Alexis said gently, "and I know she thought it would help Jake to be part of making the truth come out to everyone. I didn't ask, Jason, but I've known Elizabeth a very long time. I imagine she would have made it clear that even if she believes this other man is his biological father, that the evidence isn't clear yet."

"Because Elizabeth is so well known for telling the truth," Sam said, shoving away from the table. "I _told_ you, Jason—"

"'I'm not having this argument again," he snapped at her. "I just—I don't want Jake upset. I trust Elizabeth to handle that."

"You—"

"At any rate, Jake and the other party are scheduled to go in at eleven," Alexis said. "I think Elizabeth said she's keeping the boys at home so that things don't get worse today. She's hoping it will die out tomorrow—"

"They're getting tested at the same time?" Jason asked. He nodded. "Okay. Well, that answers my question—"

"Jason—"

"Just stop. What time am I going in?"

"Twelve. I thought it might be easier if we staggered it," Alexis told him. "I can reach out to him if you want—"

"No. No." Jason made a face. "When we know—when he gets the news—we'll deal with it then. But I just—I'm not interested."

"Okay. And Oscar will be tested at one. Marker results will be in around five," Alexis said. "Brad Cooper is drawing the blood, but I asked Finn to watch over him and walk the case through personally."

"Finn? Why?"

"Well, Diane and I felt that nearly every other long-term staff member has a connection or relationship to Elizabeth and that there was no bias with him. Finn might have been married to Hayden, but she and Elizabeth weren't that close. Not that we think that's an issue, but—"

Jason nodded. "Fine. I'll be at the hospital at noon. For now, I'm going into the office." He looked at Sam. "You coming? I'm starting interviews for the CFO."

"Oh." Sam frowned. "I haven't found a nanny yet for Scout. We were going to do that this week—"

"Fine. I'll see you at the hospital later."

He left the penthouse, and while he didn't slam the door, it almost felt like he had. Sam winced, then looked back at her mother.

"He's handling it as well as I guess anyone would," she said.

"At least we'll have some answers today, and hopefully, by the end of the week, we'll know more." Alexis got to her feet. "The thing is, Sam—"

"Mom—"

"You and I both know how these tests are going to come out, and I haven't even met the other man yet. I do know the Cassadines, and this sounds right up their alley. I just—make sure you're making the right choices."

**Port Charles High: Hallway**

Trina poked Joss's shoulder. "Hey. Truce for five minutes."

"Oh, good. It's always easier when _you_ ask for one." Joss turned away from her locker, closing the door. "Cam, right? Something's up."

"He didn't talk to you, either?" Trina wrinkled her nose. "Damn. I thought—" She chewed her bottom lip. She reached over to snag Oscar as he was heading down the hallway— "Hey, did you talk to Cameron this weekend?"

"Yeah, we played Call of Duty on Saturday. He had to watch his brothers while his mom went to deal with the Jason stuff." Oscar frowned at them. "Why?"

"Did you go to his house? Were things okay?"

"Uh, no, we played on headsets with Spencer and Emma. I repeat," he said, " _Why_?"

"Because I kept texting him all weekend, and he was like—things are fine, but really short, and I don't know. I think something happened because Uncle Sonny has been all weird—" Joss wrinkled her nose. "I mean, more than usual."

"And he's barely texted me at all," Trina said. "You think Jake is freaking out?"

"No, Jake was in the background on Saturday, he sounded okay. Maybe he's just tired or something. Friday was a lot. He said none of them got a lot of sleep." Oscar shrugged. "Cam's cool, guys. He'd tell you."

"Oh, he would absolutely not tell me, but he _would_ tell Emma," Joss muttered. She took out her phone, then sighed and looked at Trina. "She likes you better than me."

"Uh, not by much. She and Cam only stopped dating because she moved to California, and when she found out I started dating him this summer, she blocked me on Insta for a week."

"You are all _insane_ ," Oscar declared. "And weirdly obsessed with Cameron. Lay off. If he wants to talk to you, he will."

Joss narrowed her eyes but then sighed. "You're probably right. I just hate knowing something is bugging him, and he won't say anything because he's got this superhero must be strong for the brothers thing going. You'll get irritated by it very fast," she told Trina. She turned back to Oscar. "Did his mom arrange your test? What did your stepmom say?"

"She's, uh, doing that stoic military wife thing. Evidence supports it, blah, blah, tests will reveal, blah—" Oscar shook his head. "She's mostly trying to hide how much this is all freaking her out. I mean, we moved to Port Charles to get away from San Diego and, like, memories of Dad."

"Yeah, super weird she ended up here where your dad was, but lucky for you," Trina said. "When's the test?"

"Kim handled it with Cam's mom. I'm going over to GH around one, Kim's going to sign me out." Oscar shrugged. "They said we'll know about relationships today. Like, tonight. Whether or not they're twins and if one of them is my dad."

"Well, that's good—"

"Yeah. I'm just trying not to think about it too much, I guess." Oscar paused. "Look, not that I want to give you any reason to worry, but I did hear Aiden say something about Franco not coming home anymore. I think Cam's mom broke up with him."

"Oh. Well, maybe that's what's upsetting him," Trina said. "I know he hated Franco, but maybe his mom argued with him in front of Cam and his brothers."

"I'll go to his house after school. He won't be able to get away from me then," Joss declared. "You guys in? We'll ambush him."

"What did I _just_ say?" Oscar demanded as they started down the hall towards homeroom.

**Webber Home: Living Room**

Elizabeth stepped out of the kitchen. "Hey. We're going to leave for the hospital in a little while," she told the boys. "Cam, I was thinking. I know you can handle Aiden, but—"

"You left me alone with both of them on Saturday," Cameron reminded her as he reached for his game controller. "And didn't Mr. Corinthos say the guards were hanging out for a few days?"

"Yeah. I know." She drew her bottom lip between her teeth, unsure how to explain her discomfort. It had been a few days, and she hadn't heard a word from Franco.

Not that she'd wanted to—but she knew that a quiet Franco was probably not a good thing either. She didn't want to think of him as biding his time, watching the house—

Cameron glanced over at her, squinting. "Mom?"

"I just…I'd feel better if we stayed together. Today. Tomorrow, I'll find a way to deal with it." She hesitated, then looked at Jake. "There's something else. I asked Jason if he wanted to drive over to the hospital with us. And when I say Jason—"

"You mean the other guy with Dad's old face," Jake said. He studied her. "You think _he's_ my biological dad."

"I—" Elizabeth knew that she shouldn't confirm her own beliefs—that she should try to play neutral with Jake until she knew for sure—

But she _did_ know. If she hadn't known on Friday night, spending half the afternoon on Saturday going over what happened with Franco and the last five years—she felt it in her bones. She'd always _known_ Jason. And the small part of her that had always had strange doubts and feelings about Jake Doe being Jason Morgan—

That voice had finally been silenced.

"Yes," Elizabeth said finally. "I think he is your biological father. I'm sorry, Jake. I know this isn't easy."

Jake absorbed that, looked at Cameron for a moment, then refocused on his mother. "Do I have to call him Dad? Like today?"

"No," Elizabeth said immediately. "And Jason would never demand it of you. I want _you_ to be okay more than anything else. We'll get the answers, we'll make sure that your…that our old Jason is okay being Drew if that's who he is."

"Remember that makes Oscar your cousin," Cameron said. "More family for you—"

"For _all_ of us," Jake said with an edge in his voice. "You're my brother. We're a _team_."

Elizabeth frowned at the byplay between them—something going on there she didn't quite understand, but before she could root it out, there was a knock on the door. She got to her feet. "I'll be back."

She pulled open the door, her heart skipping as she saw Jason—her Jason—standing there, Michael beside him. She didn't know how long it would take to get used to seeing his face again.

"Hey." Elizabeth folded her arms, bracing herself against the chilly morning. "Michael, I wasn't expecting you."

"Uh, well—"

"Michael offered to hang out with Cam and Aiden while we went to the hospital." Jason shifted.

"Yeah, I mean, things are quiet," Michael said. "At least that's what Dad says, and you know you've got the guard out here, but—" He met her eyes. "I'd feel better, you know?"

"Oh." Elizabeth realized that some of her anxiety did ease. Michael was resourceful and could take care of himself and the boys. "Thanks. I was thinking of taking them to the hospital, but this works better. Um—" She pushed the door open. "Can I talk to Jason for a minute?" she asked Michael. "The boys are playing video games."

"Sure." Michael went inside and closed the door. Elizabeth turned to Jason, still trying to get used to the sight of his face—that particular face—and realizing now that the other man didn't even really have his eyes. How had they ever accepted him?

"You're not mad, are you?" Jason said hesitantly. "I should have called about Michael—"

"Jason," she said, relishing his name on her lips. "You just came home and found out the serial killer you thought was dead is alive and was—" Elizabeth bit her lip. She glanced towards the house. "And Michael is close with the boys." She hesitated because she didn't think anyone would have mentioned AJ, which was how Michael had gotten to know Cam and Aiden in the first place. "I mean, everyone knows you're Jake's father, so Michael's kind of—he's been a cousin to them all."

Jason looked past her into the small window next to the door where the boys were visible. "He's really in there," he murmured. "I saw him in the park, but I can't—" He focused on Elizabeth. "He knows?"

"He knows," she confirmed. "And I told him that I believe _you're_ Jason. But the thing is—"

"I didn't raise him," Jason finished with a tinge of regret. " _He_ did."

"He did. And Jake loves him. I don't know how that's going to end up," Elizabeth said slowly, "and I don't know if we'll ever really know what's going on, but if he's not—if it turns out he was a victim like you, however, that happens—"

"I'm not here to make Jake's life harder. I just—" Jason rubbed his chest, his hand closing into a fist. "I never should have given him up. And I just don't want to miss this chance. If you'll—"

"I never should have asked you to let him go in the first place," Elizabeth said, with a shake of her head. "You might have given him up, but I got the ball rolling with my lies. We're both getting a second chance with him. Come on in and meet your son."

**General Hospital: Andre's Office**

"You listened about staying quiet and out of it. Good."

Andre flinched, looking up to find the Cassadine at his door. Valentin closed it, then took a seat. "They're doing a DNA test today."

"A DNA test," Andre repeated. "That won't tell them much. Jason knew there was the possibility of a twin out there, ever since Heather told that lie about Franco—"

"They're bringing in Patient Three," Valentin said coolly. "For advanced testing. And another kid, I'm told, but I don't know who. Maybe one of Samantha's little urchins—"

"We don't want that," Andre said, with a shake of his head. "This gets worse if they're tested—we need to know who else is being tested—"

"I'll find out," Valentin said, but he didn't seem that concerned. "But I need you to get back in the game. Patient Three," he repeated. "My mother played with his mind—"

"And _you_ nearly killed everyone," Andre said. "He's just a little boy—Helena is dead. Why did you even bother to finish her plan?" He'd been furious when he'd realized what had almost happened—he'd thought Jake was safe—he hadn't dreamed Chimera could happen. Once Helena was dead—

"It was never about _finishing_ her plan." Valentin got to his feet. "I needed this town to trust me. Playing the hero, rescuing everyone from the big bad Chimera—that made everyone give me a second look. I don't care about my mother's grudge against Elizabeth Webber. Helena is dead. And so is everyone else that ever gave a damn about her revenge. All I want is what I was _promised_."

"You have that—"

"Not enough. Not all of it. You never found the last one," Valentin said. "The only other person who can get in my way."

"I thought Klein was taking care of that—"

"He's trying to, but it occurs to me that if Mother played with little Jake Webber's mind to give him the command to kill his entire family, including those insufferable brothers—she might have planted other secrets."

Andre shook his head. "My part of this is done. You promised me if I came to town, if I put Jason Morgan's memories into Drew Cain again, I could be finished, but there's always _one_ more thing—"

"You're finished when I _say_ you are. I need Patient Three's secrets," Valentin hissed. He put his hands on the desk, leaning over. "And _you're_ going to get them for me."

**General Hospital: Nurse's Station**

Elizabeth glanced up from the paperwork for Jake's test and looked over at Jake and Jason, patiently sitting in the waiting area. Jake had his iPad out and was showing his father something. Their meeting at the house had been fine, mostly because Jake always felt more confident when he was with his brothers, and Jason wasn't going to push.

Maybe she shouldn't have left them alone, but the only way Jake was going to get comfortable with Jason was if _Elizabeth_ did the pushing.

It was the least she could do after being the reason Jason and Jake had never had a relationship to begin with.

She didn't really understand how she could accept this man as Jason so quickly when she'd torn herself apart trying to make Jake Doe stay with her, but she also couldn't argue with the way that she felt.

Everything in her life had changed over the last few days, and Elizabeth didn't really know what to do about it other than put one foot in front of the other and keep her head above the water.

"So—"

She blinked at the new voice and turned to find Felix standing there, his brows raised. "How's it going?"

"Uh—" Elizabeth pursed her lips. "Interesting," she said finally.

"I can see that," Felix said, nodding towards the waiting area. "Jake doing okay with this?"

"He's trying to be," Elizabeth said. "You know, Jake looks to Cameron to set the tone, and Cam is doing his usual 'everything is under control, I've got this' routine." She paused. "I'm worried about both of them."

"We'll keep our eyes on them," Felix promised. They both looked at the waiting area. "And it looks like we won't be the only ones."

**Waiting Area**

Jason couldn't stop looking at him. Even as Jake bowed his head and did something with the tablet he was holding, Jason kept staring at him, looking at the strands of his blonde hair and the length of his fingers—his legs—he was so much taller now.

Joss had told him that Sam's son, Danny, was his biological son. Jason was still letting that roll around in his head, wondering how different things might have been if that had been known—if they'd never believed him to be Franco's son—then rejecting the thought because there was no point in thinking about that right now.

He didn't even know if Sam was going to let him near Danny—she'd looked angry, almost hostile that night at the PCPD. Even when she had proof of who Jason was, would she leave the other man? She'd looked at him in the commissioner's office, then turned away.

Jason put that away, too. He could only think about the things that he _could_ control, and right now — he was sitting next to Jake, the little boy he'd buried and grieved. And he wanted to know _everything_.

"Can I ask you something?" Jake raised his head, met Jason's eyes. "Mom says—Mom says _you're_ my dad. By blood. You're the one that—she said you were there when I was born. You saved her life because she got sick. We both almost died."

"Yeah." Jason exhaled slowly. He'd been terrified that day, watching Elizabeth bleed, hearing those alarms, watching her eyes close, wondering if they'd ever open again— "I am. I know that might be hard—"

"But the other guy—" Jake took a deep breath. "He doesn't have your face, but he says _he's_ you. And everyone _else_ said he was you. He says he remembers that day, too."

"I know."

"Is he lying?" Jake said. He stared down at the tablet again.

"I—" Jason thought back to that night at the PCPD and the angry eyes of the other man—not just angry. But _terrified_. "I don't think so," he said before. "I thought he was, but then I met him. I think he's confused. I think someone lied to him."

"Maybe someone played with his head?" Jake asked. "Because Helena Cassadine did that to me." He rubbed a spot on his arm. "She almost made me hurt a lot of people," he said in a low voice. "My mom, my brothers. I'd _never_ hurt them."

"Jake—" His stomach twisted, remembering the story of the Chimera that Elizabeth had related the other day, and the memory ate at Jason like acid. He'd wanted Jake to be safe, to be happy. He'd walked away to make it happen. Instead, Jake's life had been filled with trauma and violence.

Jason never should have walked away. He should have been at his side to protect him.

"She could definitely make someone believe they're someone else so much they have memories of it." Jake said this as a statement, and Jason sighed, because as wild as it sounded—he'd been around the Cassadines long enough not to doubt anything. Not after what he'd seen Lucky Spencer put Elizabeth through nearly twenty years ago.

"Probably."

"Could it be you?" Jake asked. "Could she be lying to _you_?"

"I—" Jason paused. "I don't think so," he said carefully. "But that's why we're having these tests. Why we're asking you and your brother's friend. If one of us is Drew Cain, we need to know. And this will tell us."

"I think Mom's right," Jake said. He looked at his mother, deep in conversation with a man behind the desk Jason didn't know. "She made a mistake with Franco, but he was really good at pretending. He was really nice to me a while ago. I was—things weren't okay, and I was mad and angry, and I went to art therapy, and he was nice to me. He helped me."

Jason didn't know what to say to that, but then Jake continued. "And Mom was really sad back then. Dad was so mad at her—everyone was _really_ mad at her and yelling at her all the time, and Sam was mean, too. She was mad at me because I wanted them back together, and she was always following me—"

Jason frowned at that. "Jake—"

"And Franco was nice. For a long time," Jake added. "But not Friday." He raised his head again. "He pushed Cameron. He was gonna hurt him. He never _ever_ did that before. Mom had to make him leave. How can someone be so nice for so long but just be a big fat liar?"

"I don't know," Jason said after a minute. "I'm sorry that happened to you. And to Cameron." He paused. "Jake—"

"Anyway, Mom was wrong about him, but he was a really good liar. I don't think she's wrong about you. Mom didn't know Jake Doe was supposed to be you until Uncle Nikolas told her, and she was around him all the time. But you just came home, and she knows." Jake paused. "If the other guy, my other dad, if he's just someone else Helena hurt, is it okay if I still want him around?"

"I don't want you to lose _anyone_ that matters to you," Jason said. "I just want to get to know you. I thought—" He had to take a breath, to gather himself. "I thought you were gone, Jake. I'm still not sure I can believe you're here."

"Mom says that, too," Jake said. "She grabs me and hugs me a lot. I'm lucky," he said as Elizabeth finished at the nurse's station and started over. "Lots of people don't have moms that would shoot people for them. I think Mom would have done it."

"Your mom would do anything for you," Jason said as Elizabeth joined them. "Everything ready?" he asked her.

"Yep. Time for the needle."

Jake winced. "Man, I hate needles. You better not forget you owe me ice cream when this is done."

**General Hospital: Lobby**

The minute Carly had learned Jason was going to GH for DNA tests and that he'd gone to Elizabeth's house with Michael, she'd decided that _she_ was going to the hospital, too.

And soon as soon as Sonny learned she was heading downtown, he'd invited himself along because he was worried she'd do or say something that would upset Elizabeth or Jason.

Carly had gritted her teeth when he'd said that, determined not to let his crap get to her today. She'd already let her temper talk her out of going to the meeting on Saturday, and she was damned if she was going to be pushed out of this.

Someone had hurt Jason and stolen him from them for five years, and Carly was going to make them _pay_. They were already late for appointment, and she was worried they had missed him. She needed to be part of helping Jason get his life back. After everything he'd done for her, he deserved her help.

"Why did Jason have to go to her house? He could have asked us," Carly muttered as she and Sonny walked towards the elevators. "He could have seen Jake at the hospital."

"Carly—"

"Because you know Elizabeth is going to use this to get back into Jason's life—" She already was, from the looks of it. Elizabeth had seen Jason more than _she_ had, goddamn it—

"She doesn't need to _use_ anything," Sonny said impatiently. "She's the mother of his child—she's got an open door—"

"Well, I need to make sure she knows she can't just use it _whenever_ she wants," Carly began. "Even if she finally did see the light and get rid of Franco—"

"Sometimes you really give me a headache," he muttered. Carly's nostrils flared as the elevator doors opened and a couple walked out. They both stopped in their tracks as Jason—Carly stopped herself—as Sam and her husband walked out.

The man lifted his chin. "What are you doing here?" he demanded.

"Listen, it doesn't have to be like this," Carly said, feeling a twinge of regret. She'd been so unfair to him, and she felt even worse about their last meeting now that she knew he wasn't Jason. "We were friends before you thought you were Jason—"

"I _am_ Jason—"

"You're not," Carly said so calmly and softly that she almost didn't recognize her voice. "And I'm sorry for not pretending until the results were clear. Maybe this would be easier if we all made believe that we didn't know." She looked at Sam, who dropped her eyes to the floor. "If we _all_ just put off taking a side until the tests came back—"

"Damn it—"

"But I looked at you for months before the truth came out," Carly said, "and you were never Jason. You and Sam hated each other. You and Sonny hated each other. You barely connected with anything that made Jason who he was. Until we shoved the name on you. We were so desperate to have him back that we ignored all the signs."

"I got the memories—"

"I don't know how it's possible," Sonny said to him. "I get that you're scared. Because if you're not Jason Morgan, then who are you? And what happened? But I can't lie and tell you that I didn't know the truth the minute I saw Jason, too."

The other man flinched then looked at Sam. "Well?" he demanded, and her head snapped up. "Do _you_ agree with them?"

"Of course not," Sam said, and Sonny had to hand it to her—those con skills were coming in handy because she said it so genuinely that it almost felt real. "I know who you are. And the tests will prove it."

Satisfied, he nodded at her, then looked back at Sonny and Carly. "I made the right choice to get away from you," he said shortly, and then they walked away.

"I don't blame him," Carly admitted. "This is gonna hurt when it all comes out."

"Diane said that Alexis was going to tell him about the Drew Cain thing, so at least he'll know who he is when this is all over."

**General Hospital: Andre's Office**

Andre was shoving things into his bag when Franco stalked in, slamming the door. "You need to help me figure out how to fix this," the artist said, throwing himself into the chair. "I did something dumb on Friday, and Elizabeth is never—" He stopped, then stared at Andre. "You going somewhere?"

Andre stared at him for a long moment, then came to a decision. He needed to tell someone—needed to soothe his conscience a little bit, and if he told Elizabeth himself, she'd rip him to shreds.

Literally.

"You need to keep an eye on Jake."

Franco frowned. "What? Why? What's going on?"

"I was working for Helena Cassadine," Andre said. He went to his computer, started to tap some keys. "Don't ask. I can't get into it right now. After she died, Valentin took over—"

" _Valentin_ —"

"And now that Jason Morgan is back, his whole plan is blowing up in his face. By the way—it _was_ Jason Morgan who tried to kill you. He's the real deal."

Franco hissed. "Damn it—and Elizabeth is already mixed up with him. She believed him the minute she saw him—I knew she was just desperate, waiting for a chance—" He narrowed his eyes. "What does Jake have to do with it? Were you the one—"

"Yes," Andre snapped impatiently. He turned to grab some papers from his printer. "Yes, I'm the one to blame. I did it all. I put Chimera in Jake's head. I stole Jason's memories and put them into his twin brother. I did it all. But I'm done. They promised me I was out of it. I'm not going near Jake again."

Not now that he knew the little boy, knew his mother, his family—

"Here. Give these to Elizabeth. This will clear up a lot of the information, and it will help her find the rest. Warn her—" Andre picked up his bag. "You want to make sure Elizabeth stays with you? Keep protecting Jake."

"But—"

Then Andre left, heading for the service stairs.

Franco followed him out, his mind whirling as he sifted through the paperwork. Could he use this to prove to Elizabeth he'd just made a mistake? She'd tried to shoot him, so maybe they could call it even or something.

He could even manage a half-sincere apology about Cameron because he shouldn't have shoved the little shit—he was usually better at keeping his temper around her annoying little brats. They should have sent the older one to military school, he thought sourly.

He stopped as he came into view of the nurse's station and saw Elizabeth standing at the counter, smiling at someone. He loved her so much. She was the only person that really understood him—really accepted all his dark spaces—if he could hold on to her, he'd never have to go back to his old life—he was only whole when he was with her—

Franco squared his shoulders, prepared to beg and grovel to get her back, even pretend to love her kids a little bit more, even if Jake was the only one who didn't annoy him on a daily basis. Just as he started to walk forward, Jason came into view, Jake at his side. Franco narrowed his eyes at the way Jason put a hand on Jake's shoulder. Then Jason smiled, said something to Elizabeth—who smiled back at him.

Franco looked down at the paperwork in his hands, saw the trash can, and then ripped it all into tiny little shreds, tossing it away.

Let Elizabeth take care of her little monsters on her own. If she survived whatever Valentin Cassadine had planned, Franco might help her clean up the pieces—or pay for betraying and lying to him.


	11. Chapter Ten

_My wandering soul_  
_Found solace at last_  
_I wanted to know_  
_How long it would last_  
_She_ _’s losing control_  
_She_ _’s coming down fast_  
_The heart that I stole_  
_I_ _’m not giving back_  
_Never giving back_  
\- Some of Us, Starsailor

* * *

_December 2012_

**Crichton-Clark Lab: Patient Six's Hospital Room**

Andre grimaced as he clipped a scan to the lightbox and switched it on. "Nothing," he muttered.

"What, precisely, am I looking for?" Victor asked, putting on his reading glasses and squinting. "It looks like last month's—"

"I've been trying to fix the brain damage," Andre muttered. "Or at least minimize it so that the implantation procedure will take."

"Fix—" Victor's brows lifted. "Is such a thing possible?"

"Apparently not." Andre tapped the screen. "We've always thought brain damage was irreversible. It's the type of cell that doesn't reproduce or replicate. Once you kill a brain cell, once it's damaged, it remains that way. The brain compensates," he continues. "Six should barely be able to function, but you're telling me he was living a full life?"

"Yes, yes. With a career of sorts, family, friends. He's well-liked and respected. And that shouldn't be possible?"

"He shouldn't have _any_ control. Over his emotions or his impulses—but his right frontal lobe has grown stronger—" Andre tapped it. "I was hoping I could replicate that. Memories aren't just stored in one place in the brain."

"I remember you remarked on it—"

"Explicit memories—episodic and semantic—are stored in three parts. The hippocampus, the neocortex, and amygdala," Andre continued. "None of that is in the frontal lobe, which was the most damaged area. The frontal lobe controls speech and language, walking, running, ability to have empathy, personality—and the formation of memories."

"The formation? Really? But not storage. This is—" Victor paused. "It's interesting, but I'm not sure how it's relevant."

"Because the frontal lobe is damaged, forming memories should be more difficult, which is why implanting Five's memories hasn't been successful." Andre studied the scan. "But you're telling me that Six was able to form _and_ access new memories normally?"

"No one has said differently. He was in a car accident at the age of twenty-two," Victor reminded him, "and we extracted him just about his thirty-ninth birthday. To the best of my knowledge, he has memory of those years."

"So that function has recovered," Andre said. He narrowed his eyes. "But where? If I could find out which part of the brain was forming the memories, we could implant memories there, and it might take."

"So you're telling me there's a chance?"

Andre exhaled slowly. "A chance, yes. But it's not likely. " He looked back at the man stretched out on the hospital bed. "He's a medical miracle, but he's not a very good candidate for this study. I can continue to work, Victor, but I would be lying to you if I said that we would be guaranteed success."

"Well, that _is_ disappointing," Victor said with a grimace.

"Do you want me to reverse Five's procedure? Return his memories—"

"Oh, no. No. There's no point in giving up entirely. You may as well continue working on Six," Victor told him. "My partner requires him to be gone from Port Charles as long as possible. The time isn't right. You may as well see if it can be solved. When she wants him sent home, we'll deal with it."

"I—" Andre hesitated. "You want me to keep Five in a coma? It's been over a year—"

"What's a few more months, eh?" Victor patted his shoulder. "You mapped Six's memories. Were you able to retrieve any from before his accident?"

"Uh—" Andre hesitated. "Yes. Actually. But you were very specific—"

"Yes, yes, but it's _very_ interesting to know if I wanted to play with those—" Victor sighed happily. "It's so lovely to have options."

_Monday, October 30, 2017_

**General Hospital: Hallway**

Jason removed the band-aid that a nurse had just put over his arm where blood had been drawn, then tossed it in a nearby garbage can. He leaned against the wall, waiting for Elizabeth to come out with Jake. He was hoping that Jake wouldn't mind if he went with them to get ice cream at Kelly's, even though he knew that Sonny—and probably Carly—expected him to check in at Greystone when the tests were done.

He knew Carly wanted answers, and Sonny wanted to start figuring what had happened—Jason wanted all of that, too. He'd thought of nothing else since he'd woken up in the Russian clinic. He had had two goals. Get home and make someone pay for what they'd done.

But he hadn't known about Jake then. Hadn't known his son was alive or that the whole world _knew_ Jake was his son. He didn't care if there were people who didn't think he was really Jason Morgan. _He_ knew he was, and the truth would come out eventually. He was sorry for all the problems it would cause, but Elizabeth believed him, which meant that she would let him see his son.

Right now, Jake was all he could think about.

"Jason?"

Jason straightened as Monia Quartermaine turned the corner and stopped to stare at him, her eyes wide with shock and surprise. "Monica."

His mother walked towards him, her eyes never wavering from his, stopping just a foot away. "How—" Her voice shook slightly. "I wanted to call, but I didn't know—I haven't been able to catch Michael—how did this happen?"

"I don't have a lot of answers about that yet," Jason said carefully, "but I know who I am."

"But he has…he has the memories," Monica managed. "He knew me."

"Monica—" He paused. "Mom," he said, and her eyes snapped up to his. "Heather Webber wasn't lying when she told us there were twins."

"Twins," Monica repeated. "That would mean—" Horror dawned in her eyes. "Oh my God. Oh my _God_. How can this be happening—"

"I don't know how this is going to work out—" He paused, his throat tightening. Maybe he did care a little bit that some people didn't accept him. Was this how Monica and Alan had felt when he'd woken up after the accident and rejected him?

"Grandma?"

They both turned to see Elizabeth and Jake walking out of the room, his son rubbing his arm. "Are you okay?" He shoved a lollipop in his mouth as he waited for her answer.

"Jake." Monica pasted a smile on her face. "I'm fine. I'm just…" She frowned. "Why are _you_ here? What's wrong—"

"We just had Jake take a blood sample," Elizabeth said. She ran her fingers through Jake's hair. "They're going to run an advanced DNA test to determine identity."

"Of course, but—" Monica pressed her lips together. "You're here with him. So you—"

"Yes, I've taken a side," Elizabeth admitted. "Maybe I should have waited," she realized, with another look of regret to Jason, "but I didn't want to lie. Not again."

"I—" Monica exhaled slowly, turning back to Jason. "Oh, _Jason_." Her eyes searched his. "It's good to see you, you know. To see Lila's eyes again. I thought when he had the surgery—the reconstruction, but—"

"Grandma Lila?" Jake asked. He squinted at Jason. "Grandma Monica told me I got her eyes, too."

"You do," Elizabeth confirmed. "I knew as soon as you were born, you'd have your dad's eyes." She looked at Monica. "I'm sorry. I should have called."

"No, no, it's—I understand. Hearing the news was one thing, I could pretend it wasn't happening. But looking at you—" Monica met Jason's eyes again. "Of course it's you." She reached up, touched the scar at the corner of his eyebrow. "This is the scar you had as a little boy. You fell running in these hallways."

Jason frowned, shook his head slightly. "You never told me that."

"You never wanted to talk about the past, so I didn't," Monica said. "You must have been, oh, maybe Aiden's age," she said. "No more than eight. You and Steven—"

"Uncle Steven?" Jake asked. "You knew Uncle Steven?" he asked Jason.

"Before the car accident," Jason said. "He mentioned it once."

"Thick as thieves every time he and the girls came to visit Steve and Audrey," Monica said fondly. "Those were some good years." She took a deep breath. "You fell just outside your father's office, running from Steve and Alan, and hit your head on a cart. You needed six stitches." She pressed a hand to her abdomen. "Oh, it's _really_ you." Her eyes were damp as she stepped towards him but stopped. Always hesitating. She'd never imitated any contact since the accident.

Jason embraced her, and she hugged him tightly. "I'm so glad you're home," she said. "We can figure everything else out—" Monica stepped back, keeping a hand on Jason's shoulder. "Oh, and Jake—what a _miracle_ you came back to—" Her hand fluttered up to her throat. "When will we know about—about—if he's your brother?"

"Tonight," Elizabeth told her. "The markers will be back. We think we know who he is, I mean who he was. Not just that he's a missing twin."

"What?" Monica demanded. "How?"

"Apparently, Oscar Nero recognized him as his father who went missing a few months before Jason was shot in 2012," Elizabeth said. "He'll come by later for a test to match markers."

"Nero," Monica repeated with a slow exhale of air. "So he's—"

"But Oscar's stepmom changed his name afterward," Elizabeth continued, "so we think the other guy is Andrew Cain."

"Andrew—" Monica looked at Jason. "You're sure?"

"No, but there are enough coincidences," Jason said, "that we thought it was a good idea to test Oscar and get fingerprints from the Navy. We'll know one way or another if he's Oscar's father tonight."

"I hope he is," Jake said. "I like cousins. I only have Michael and Joss. And Spencer, but he lives in London and he's annoying. It'd be cool to have more. And Cam's already friends with Oscar."

"Of course," Monica said. "I'm sorry—I have to get to a patient—but—" She looked at Jason, hesitant to say anything else.

"We'll get together," Jason promised. "I'll—" He winced. "I'll come by the mansion."

Monica laughed, then left them, disappearing down another hallway.

"So are we going to Kelly's?" Jake asked. "Because you promised me ice cream if I got a needle," he said to his mother.

"Well," Elizabeth began, looking at Jason, but the elevators at the end of the hall opened, Sonny and Carly stepped off, and she closed her mouth. Carly beamed as she strode away from Sonny, closing the distance between them faster than her husband.

"I'm sorry we're late, but I'm glad we didn't miss you," she said. "Hey, Jake."

"Hey, Mrs. C," Jake said affably, pulling the lollipop out of his mouth. "We already got the tests."

"Where's _your_ lollipop?" Sonny asked Jason as he joined them. "Hey, Elizabeth."

"Elizabeth," Carly said with a stiff nod. She looked at Jason. "We're here now if you need a ride back to Greystone. Elizabeth should probably get home."

Jake frowned at Carly. " _I'm_ getting ice cream, and…" He tipped his head at Jason. " _He_ drove with _us_ , and he might end up being my dad, so I'm gonna invite him. You can come with us, too," he said graciously. "But I am _getting_ my ice cream."

"Jake, there are a lot of things—" Carly began, but Jason cut her off.

"I'll meet you back at Greystone," Jason told her and Sonny. "I told you didn't need to come."

"But—" Carly began, but Sonny shook his head.

"No, it can wait a bit," he said. He looked at Elizabeth. "I thought of some more questions I wanted to ask about the Cassadines, so maybe you both could come over after ice cream since it's not like Laura is going to return my calls."

"What'd you do to Grandma Laura?" Jake asked suspiciously.

"I exist," Sonny said easily, and this seemed to make sense to Jake because he shrugged and twirled his lollipop in his mouth.

"Uh—" Elizabeth glanced at Jason, who nodded. "Okay," she agreed. "I just need to make sure that the boys—"

"Michael's at the house, so he can watch me. And you know Joss and everyone will be over after school because Cam wasn’t there," Jake told his mother. "We won't even get into any trouble, promise. Not like last time."

"What happened last time?" Jason asked.

Carly winced. "It wasn't Joss's fault—"

"No, I think Cameron played a leading role in that one," Elizabeth agreed, "with Joss as a back-up." To Jason, she said, "it's nothing. We were able to paint the wall, and you can barely see where the fire started."

**Morgan Penthouse: Living Room**

At barely nineteen, Molly Davis-Lansing was sure that she had figured out the entire world and could tell everyone how to live. The fact that Molly was usually proven right in the end only made her more infuriating. Neither of her sisters had weighed in on the situation when Sam had gone over to her mother's on Saturday, but she knew they'd get around to it.

They always did.

"It's just you?" Sam looked around the corner towards the elevator, expecting to see her other sister.

"Krissy and I drew straws, and she lost," Molly said with a shrug. She went over to the playpen to pick up Scout, who was reaching for her aunt. "Hey, baby girl. How's my favorite niece?" she cooed. Scout babbled and tugged on Molly's dark hair.

"Why did need to draw straws?" Sam asked darkly.

"Because we thought it might feel like ganging up, and we very much don't want it to be that way." Molly said.

"Molly—"

"Mom said you were getting DNA tests done," her sister continued. "Where's—" She looked around the penthouse. "Where's, um—"

" _Jason_ ," Sam said forcefully. "We did the tests. I came home, and he went into Aurora to do the first round of interviews for a CFO position. We have to keep living our life, Molly. We can't just stop because someone showed up with his old face." She shrugged. "We always figured there was an air of truth to Heather's story about a secret twin. This other guy is probably him."

Molly set Scout back in her playpen, gave her a stuffed bear to play with. "You know, Sam, it's okay if you _aren't_ sure. You can tell me. I won't say anything."

"I _am_ sure," Sam said with a confidence she didn't really feel. Not deep down. The way her sister tipped her head was not reassuring. If Molly could see right through her, Sam was going to have to do a better job of selling it.

"Okay," Molly drawled. "I guess we'll figure out why this other guy is claiming to be Jason when the tests come back. I mean, it's a risky game to play unless you're sure that the tests won't prove you wrong."

"There's a chance the tests might come back inconclusive," Sam muttered. "There are advanced markers for paternity, but—"

"There's the fingerprints, too. TJ said his mom said they'd be back in a few days." Molly folded her arms. "Sam, you know better than this."

Sam bristled. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"I know you used to be a con artist," Molly said patiently. "And I'm pretty sure a major rule is _not_ to tell a lie you can get caught in. Why would this guy come to town, tell us he's Jason, agree to all the tests and ways to prove it if he's not—"

"I _know_ who Jason is," Sam retorted. "He's the man who chose _me_ , who chose our family! I know Jason better than anyone else!"

"Okay, but—"

"I was there when he got his memories back, when he remembered me, and he remembered Danny and the little girl I lost—I know who he is, Molly! And those tests—it'll prove it!"

"I just—" She sighed. "I love you, Sam. And I like the man you're married to. I don't think he's lying. I think someone is out there, trying to hurt you and him, and if you want to pretend a little longer that's not happening—"

"I don't need this from my own family," Sam snarled. She ripped open the door. "And if Krissy feels this way, too, you can tell her to stay away."

Not even fazed by her sister's outburst, Molly's expression softened. "I love you," she repeated. "I just want you to be okay."

Sam closed her eyes, the tears threatening in the back of her throat. "He is Jason," she said. "He _has_ to be."

"Okay," Molly said. She kissed her sister's cheek. "Call me if you need anything. And give Danny hugs and kisses."

Sam closed the door behind her, pressing her forehead against the door. Why did everyone want her to throw her life away so easily? Wasn't that what she'd been accused of doing two years ago? When she'd walked away from Patrick and their future because she'd learned Jason was alive?

She wasn't going to do that again. She couldn't keep destroying her life just to chase after Jason Morgan, whoever he turned out to be.

**Webber Home: Living Room**

Michael narrowed his eyes when he opened Elizabeth's front door to find his sister on the front step. "It's barely one. How did you get out of school?"

"Listen, if you don't ask, I won't tell, and we can both claim ignorance," Joss said as she sailed past her brother to find Cameron, Aiden, and Jake on the sofa. "Oh, you're back from GH? Mom said you had DNA tests today."

"Mom just dropped me off. She went over to your house," Jake said as he squinted at the Nintendo Switch Cameron had let him play. "Mr. Sonny said he had Cassadine questions for her."

"Our moms in the same room with Jason?" Joss snorted. "I really need to put a bug on her or something. I miss all the fun." She plopped on the sofa next to Cameron and beamed at him. "Hey."

He looked at her suspiciously. "Hey."

"How you doing?"

"Fine," he drawled, glancing at Michael, who just shrugged and sat back on the armchair, pulling out a portfolio to make notes for work. "How are you?"

"Good. Worried about Oscar. I saw him getting signed out by his stepmom for his test before I left." Joss pulled her legs up and folded them as she took the controller Cameron handed her. "It's wild to think that tonight we'll know the score. You know, like Oscar will know if his dad is in Port Charles."

"But his dad still won't remember him," Jake said. "That's really hard. I mean, Dad might not be my actual dad, but he remembers me now. Before, when he didn't, it was weird. And I didn't even know him before."

"It's a good thing I was here for that whole Jake Doe thing because that would make zero sense to someone else," Joss told Jake. She grimaced. "Call of Duty again? Can't we ever play anything else? When does the Sims 4 come out for console?"

"November 17," Aiden said. "I wanna build houses, and Cam said I could play on his Xbox." He scowled. "Cam, you're going the wrong way! They're gonna cream you!"

"Not if I don't—" Cam hissed. "Damn it." He glanced at Joss again. "So why'd you cut school? I told you, Mom didn't want Jake and Aiden at school until we got the markers back—"

"Well, I wasn't going to," Joss said, "but then I was listening to Mom and Uncle Sonny, and Mom wanted to know why Michael was going to be over here, and Sonny said that Elizabeth didn't want to leave you guys alone." She smiled sweetly at her brother. "I have questions."

Michael stared at her blandly. "That's nice."

"And then I got here, and I recognized the SUV outside because it looks like the one Mom doesn't think I know follows me everywhere. I wave at Milo all the time." She raised her brows. "Why is my brother keeping you company, and why do you have a guard?"

"Because of Franco," Aiden said before he noticed his brother's death glare. "Oh. Never mind. Anyone want cookies? Let me get cookies." He hopped to his feet and hurried into the kitchen.

"You didn't tell Joss?" Jake asked Cameron, who then turned the glare on him. "Uh, I'm gonna go help Aiden."

"What happened with Franco?" Joss said flatly. "Why are we guarding against Franco—" She twisted on the sofa again to level a suspicious look at Michael. "And since when do _you_ count as security against a serial killer?"

"It's not a big deal, Joss," Cameron muttered. He flipped through the menus on his game and avoided Joss's hurt expression.

"Trina didn't say anything, and neither did Oscar. If it's not a big deal," she said, her teeth clenched, "then why didn't you tell us? Oscar said he thought your mom broke up with Franco."

"She did. So there, you're caught up."

Joss narrowed her eyes. "Excuse me." She got to her feet and stalked into the kitchen.

"Uh, not that I'm going to tell you what to do," Michael said, pitching his voice lower, "but she's just going to go bug your brothers, and I know they're loyal to you—"

"Crap." Cameron huffed, then followed in Joss's trail.

"I really think since I gotta live with Cam—" Jake was saying when Cameron entered the kitchen. "Oh, thank God. You gotta tell her. She's gonna cry—"

"She is not," Cameron said, rolling his eyes as Joss turned and made a face at him. "She just knows how to turn on the waterworks. She's been doing it since kindergarten." He folded his arms. "Look, after you guys left, we were watching the video. Franco came in, got annoyed. He wanted the iPad, I didn't want to give it to him. We got into it. Mom came home. It's done. She kicked him to the curb. It's not a big deal—"

"Got into it," Joss repeated. She pursed her lips. "Nope. There's more."

Cameron nearly growled. "Why do you always gotta do this? Not _everything_ in my life is your business—"

Joss lifted her chin, and now the hurt he saw in her eyes was real. "No, you're right. It's not. But if it's not a big deal, you'd tell me. Especially when you know I've been through it."

"I know, Joss—" He sighed. "Okay. Fine. He shoved me, grabbed my shirt, and if my mom hadn't come home, I'm not exactly sure how it would have gone. So, it was bad, but it's okay now. I just—I didn't tell you because I didn't—"

He paused. "I know you, Joss. And you're already plotting in your head—"

"Of course I am! Why is Franco still a thing? Why aren't we _all_ plotting his demise right now?" Joss demanded. "He put his hands on you, and your mom let him live? God, no wonder she and Jason are friends. They're both idiots—"

"Hey—" Jake said, scowling. "That's _not_ nice—"

"Neither is bringing home a serial killer to live with your kids," Joss shot back at the younger boy.

"Hey! _Your_ mom almost married him!" Aiden piped in.

"I didn't mean—" Joss tried to back pedal.

"Yeah!" Jake said. "And he broke up with her, not like my mom! _My_ mom made him leave!"

She exhaled slowly. "I'm sorry. I'm sorry. That was stupid of me to say. I'm _sorry_ ," she repeated to the younger boys, then she turned around to Cameron. "You know I like your mom."

"I know." Cameron rubbed the back of his neck and frowned when he saw Michael joining them. "Look, it's—I get it, Joss. And maybe part of me just doesn't want to deal with it _because_ I get it. And I know how you and Michael—and Morgan," he added quietly, "how hard it was for all of you. I wanted it to be different for my mom. I thought it was. I thought he was just a dick. I didn't—until Friday, I didn't think it'd be like _that_."

"Until that day on the Haunted Star," Michael said, "neither did we. That's usually how Franco gets you. And _no_ one blames your mom for falling for it. He's a sociopath. They know how to mimic human emotion. He had me convinced back then, too."

He sat down at the dining table and reached for one of the cookies from the plate in the middle of the table. "Why don't we take a break from talking about Franco?"

"Okay." Cameron mouthed an apology to Joss, who wrinkled her nose but nodded. They sat around the table, quiet for a minute. "Any idea what Mom and Jason are doing at Greystone?" he asked Michael.

"Uncle Sonny said Spinelli is coming to town later this week, so I guess they're gonna go after whoever did this," Joss said. "I'm glad they're letting your mom help. I think she always felt bad she wasn't part of bringing you home," she told Jake, then looked at Michael. "I heard Mom and Uncle Sonny arguing about Ava Jerome."

Michael grimaced. "Yeah, Ava helped Jason escape the clinic — probably because she knew he was somehow connected to Sonny. Mom wants to tell Jason everything, but Sonny says we should hold off."

"Well, yeah, because talking about Ava probably brings up that whole other thing," Cameron said. He broke a cookie into two, then realized no one was saying anything after a minute. He looked up to find Michael and Joss frowning at him while Jake and Aiden were trying very hard to be quiet, so no one noticed they were there for grown-up conversation.

"Other thing?" Michael asked.

"I think—" Joss said with a wince. "Cam's talking about that whole…your biological dad wasn't dead, now he's dead again, and there's a reason you don't call Uncle Sonny Dad unless you're with him or Mom."

"You think I should tell Jason that the brother he thought was dead turned out not to be dead, but then got murdered by Sonny, and Mom covered it up? That's the other thing?" Michael said darkly. "You think talking about Ava gets me there? How?"

"Because Ava killed Connie," Joss said. "And you know _that's_ gonna come up. It's why Uncle Sonny hates her. And Mom hates her because of Morgan. And talking about Connie _always_ leads to AJ." She shrugged. "Maybe you should just tell him, so he hears it from you."

"Yeah, let me go right ahead with that. Hey, Jason, remember that time you lied about being my father, and then my biological father went nuts because of you, Mom, and Sonny so he kidnapped me, faked my death, and then tried to kill people? Well, he faked _his_ death, but it's okay. He's _really_ dead now. Sonny murdered him in cold blood, and then Mom helped him get away with it. It's cool, now because the governor pardoned him." Michael lifted his brows. "Is _that_ how I should do it?"

"You could always bring some of Aiden's cookies," Joss suggested brightly. "They help."

"Or you could just wait for someone to introduce you as Michael Quartermaine," Cameron offered. "Or did you tell your mom you never changed your name back?"

"It would be nice," Michael told his sister, "if you didn't tell Cameron everything."

"Uh, I'm sorry, what part of 'partner in crime for life' did you not understand?" Joss said, rolling her eyes. "Geesh."

Michael looked like he wanted to argue with her but decided not to. "Look, I'm just—I'm not doing it. I don't want to have that conversation with Jason right now."

"Fine. I know what we can do," Joss said. "You wanna take bets on how long it takes my mom to find a reason to shove your mom out the door?"

"That's a sucker's bet," Cameron said. "Your mom isn't going to wait more than ten minutes."

"Mrs. C seemed very annoyed that Mom was going over," Jake said with a sigh. "I don't think she's going to make it that long."

**Greystone: Living Room**

Carly did not, in fact, make it that long. To her credit, she had been attempting to insult Elizabeth _behind_ her back and was not facing the foyer doors when Jason and Elizabeth arrived just in time to hear the blonde complain that Elizabeth was using this to get her claws in Jason again.

"I've missed this," Elizabeth said as she followed Jason into the living room. He turned to her with an exasperated expression, and she shrugged. He knew she was probably used to Carly's barbs, but he really _wasn't_ in the mood for it.

Carly twisted, then gasped. "When did you show up? Max didn't say anything—"

"Max never announced me before," Jason said, frowning at her. "Why would he start now? Carly—"

"Let's not get distracted," Sonny suggested as he smoothly stepped between his wife and Jason. "Carly—"

"Fine, I'm zipping it, but—"

"No, no buts," Sonny warned her. "Elizabeth never starts it—" Carly sniffed. " _Almost_ never," he amended, shooting Elizabeth an apologetic look. "And I think you're forgetting that she really does know more about the Cassadines than we do. Don't you want to know who kept Jason from us for five years?"

"Of course I do!" Carly sighed. "Fine. Ask your stupid questions." Clearly, she was hoping Elizabeth would divulge her information, then leave. Jason would have to have to talk to her about this.

It had been irritating enough for Carly to mistreat Elizabeth before, but now that everyone knew the truth about Jake, the last thing Jason wanted was for his son to overhear his best friend insulting his mother. Though it was possible Jake was already aware of it. It might be something else he just didn't know.

"I seem to remember that the Cassadines—or at least Helena—was always into memory and control," Sonny said, gesturing for Elizabeth to take a seat. "But I wasn't really involved during all of that. I just came in at the end to help you out."

"What are you talking about?" Carly asked, folding her arms. She remained standing as Elizabeth sat in the armchair, and Sonny sat on the sofa. Jason paced over towards the terrace, too restless to sit still.

"Helena brainwashed Lucky, but that wasn't even the first time," Elizabeth said. "There was something that happened when he was younger. Something with a computer game. I don't remember the details, but yeah, Luke told me the Cassadines were always into mind control and memory manipulation."

"I sort of remember Lucky being brainwashed," Carly admitted, grudgingly. "What does it have to do with Jason?"

"Because I don't think the other guy is lying about memories," Sonny said. "Jason, you saw him on Friday. I told you I didn't think he was part of it."

"You think somehow he has my _actual_ memories?" Jason asked skeptically. "How—"

"That's why I wanted to know more about the Cassadines and their stuff on memory." Sonny turned back to Elizabeth. "Does this sound like something Helena could do?"

"If it can be done, the Cassadines would do it," Elizabeth said, "and Helena is always looking for a way to control people. She put that chip into Jake Doe, and with Lucky, she used the Ice Princess diamond to trigger the commands. And, well, of course, Jake." She hesitated. "But can someone take another person's memories?"

"We're not just dealing with Helena, though," Carly said, drawing their attention. "Because wasn't the other guy part of it? The one from the WSB? Victor? He's the one that had the other guy. He didn't have Jason."

"If the WSB was involved, then there were probably experiments. That makes sense. Then yeah, if it can be physically done, the Cassadines would have done it," Elizabeth said, nodding. Carly frowned, probably surprised that Elizabeth had agreed with her.

"Helena messed with Lucky's memories, didn't he?" Sonny asked Elizabeth. "That's why you left him at the altar that first time."

"Uh, yeah. After, um, I took that poison, she—" Elizabeth sighed. "The way Lucky tells it, she erased his feelings for me, but I've never been that sure how I feel about that." She made a face. "I don't doubt she tried it, but I don't think it works like that. More likely, she just brainwashed him to think it."

"Great. The Cassadines are into mind control. They're also all dead, except for Valentin, so why does it matter?" Carly asked.

"Because Helena was dead for almost two years, and Jake still almost killed an entire ballroom on her command," Sonny said flatly. "She's dead, but that doesn't mean the loose ends aren't out there. Jason's a loose end. This other guy—he might be a loose end. Who knows what else is still out there?"

"And even if Helena's plans are done, Valentin is still a problem," Sonny said. "He sent Ava to that clinic. We're agreed that doesn't make sense for him to do if he was in on it, but how else would he know about the clinic?" He got to his feet and crossed to the minibar, reaching for water instead of the bottle of bourbon. "And you know what else I thought was strange about that whole Jake Doe control chip thing—"

"What?" Carly asked. "Other than the fact that it happened?"

"After he got it out," Sonny said to Jason, who was just taking it all in, listening to them. "He remembered all the things she'd made him do. And the first thing she'd said to him was that he was Jason Morgan. She told him who he was supposed to be. Now—was she lying to him? Or did _she_ not know? But not only that—she threatened Elizabeth and the boys, Carly, and our kids—but she never, _ever_ , used Jake as leverage."

"No, she didn't, did she?" Elizabeth tilted her head. "So either she knew he wasn't Jason, or she didn't want to take the chance that he'd remember the conversation later." She exhaled slowly. "She was saving Jake. She always meant to use him for the Chimera project, didn't she? She _always_ planned to use my baby to kill us all."

"You said Valentin played hero that day," Jason said, drawing their attention. "How?"

"When we managed to Jake to back down," Elizabeth said, "men broke into the ballroom and stole the box. Valentin went after them and got it back. He turned it over to the WSB for safekeeping."

"A lot of people were very grateful. Including me," Carly said with a sigh, "because he saved the Metro Court a lot of bad press for security."

"How did people know it was here?" Jason asked. "How did anyone know to come steal this box?"

Sonny blinked at him. "I don't know. I guess we didn't think about it—"

"He could have set it up to save the day."

"I remember Luke talking about Valentin once, but he never came to Port Charles," Jason said. "You didn't say a lot about Valentin. What his story?"

"Hard to say. A lot of it is cloaked in mystery. He's Mikkos's illegitimate son, and he had a will that left him everything. He stole Nikolas's inheritance and pushed him out the window." Elizabeth looked away. "He claimed self-defense, and the Greek authorities didn't press charges."

"I'm sorry," Jason said gently, knowing that she'd been close to Nikolas for most of her life. "What has Valentin done since then?"

"Nothing," Sonny said. "He's laid low. It's like—he got what he wanted when Nikolas died and doesn't need to do anything else."

"Unless—" Elizabeth frowned. "We've been assuming that it was just a loose end with Jake and the Chimera—a plan of Helena's that was stalled when she died. But we never did learn _who_ sent him that box of magic tricks with the Chimera weapon. If Valentin knew about Helena's plans, about the suggestions she planted in his head—"

"Maybe he used them to built a little goodwill for himself," Sonny said.

"And if he knew about Chimera, then he probably knew what Helena was planning with me," Jason said. "He's in this. It's just a matter of figuring out how and what he wants. Because they tried to drag me back to Russia to keep me from coming home."

"They also kept you alive," Carly pointed out. "But why?"

"All we have are questions," Sonny said with a sigh. "It'd be nice to get some damn answers."

**Devane Home: Foyer**

With a furrowed brow, Anna Devane stepped back to let Andre inside. "Was I expecting you?" she asked, closing the door. "I've been a bit distracted since I came back from Monte Carlo."

"I'd heard you were away." Andre set a bag down on the step, then faced her, his dark eyes grave and sober. "I'm leaving Port Charles."

Anna blinked, then shook her head, a startled laugh escaping her lips. "Oh, come now," she said, a bit nervously. "I know it's nearly Halloween, but it's hardly a time for jokes."

Andre pressed his lips together, then reached into the bag to hand her a box. "I wanted you to have this," he told her. "It's an early Christmas gift, but since I won't be here—"

"Andre," Anna said sharply, not reaching for the beautifully wrapped gift, "this is _ridiculous_. You're not leaving town. You have a life here, friends and a career—"

"I know," he said heavily, dipping his eyes to the floor of the foyer. He shook his head. "I know," he repeated, "but I have to go. I can't explain—"

"Andre—"

He set the box on her step, then picked up his bag. "You've been a good friend," he told her. "And if things had been different—"

"You're scaring me," Anna said, reaching for his sleeve, but he was already walking towards the door. "Andre, wait—we can fix whatever is wrong—"

"No, you can't." He pulled the door open, then looked back at her, the regret etched into his features. "Whatever you hear about me—"

" _What_ is going on—"

"My friendship, my respect for you—it was real," he told her. "Take care—"

She started after him, but he closed the door in her face. By the time Anna had wrenched it open and gone outside, the taxi at her curb was pulling away. She stared after him, open-mouth and confused.

Then went back to the stairs where he'd left the gift. Anna tore off the wrapping paper, pushed open the lid, then frowned at the ornate, crystal ornament. She lifted it out of the box, staring at it, before looking back at the door.

After a moment, Anna replaced the box, strode over to the desk where she'd left her phone and pressed a familiar contact.

"Anna?"

"Robert, I need you to do that deep background check I wouldn't let you perform two years ago," she said. "I need to know _everything_ about Andre Maddox."

**Webber Home: Porch**

Elizabeth could hear the sounds of the teenagers through the windows and smiled, listening to Cameron trash talk Michael about some video game while Jake cackled. "Sometimes," she told Jason, "I stop outside here and just listen to them inside. I don't let them have the games in their rooms, or they'd never go to sleep, but I was also worried I'd never see them."

"It's hard to believe how grown up they are," Jason said, peering in through the window. "And Michael—you said he's close with them?"

"Yeah, well, he's Aiden's cousin through Carly, and Jake through you," she said. "When Jake came home, one of the things that helped him get back to some sort of normal was constantly keeping him around family. Cam and Joss were always friends, you know that, but I brought Jake around Monica and Michael, too." She bit her lip. "And—"

"The other me," Jason finished. "You can say it."

"It's just so strange," she murmured, looking at him. "Until you showed up, I honestly could say I'd accepted him as you. The DNA tests—the facial reconstruction—then the memories—I told myself the doubts I had—they were because of my own guilt. The sense that if I'd told the truth when Nikolas had told me, maybe I could have saved myself so much guilt."

"Elizabeth—"

"It was such a stupid lie," she muttered. "Every day, I woke up and I knew it was a terrible choice. You can't steal your happiness and keep it forever. It wasn't real. But—now I wonder if Nikolas knew the actual truth." She bit her lip. "He was different before he died. Darker. Twisted with some sort of hatred for the Quartermaines. He forced Tracy and Michael out of ELQ—"

"Michael works at ELQ?" Jason broke in, startled. "When did _that_ happen?"

"Oh." Elizabeth winced. "Well, Edward passed away not long after you disappeared, and Michael got closer to Monica," she said, casting her eyes away. "It just—it just sort of happened. I should let him—it's not my story to tell."

"Oh." Jason was quiet for a moment. "A long five years," he said, echoing Sonny's words. "There's a lot I don't know." She didn't respond, and he cleared his throat. "You were saying about Nikolas?"

"He forced them out of ELQ and did a lot of terrible things to keep control of it. They got the company back, but—" Elizabeth said. "Nikolas is the one that told me Jake Doe was you, and he wanted me to keep the secret. I was—I can admit it now that he's gone—he scared me. Now I know that Jake Doe _wasn't_ you—" She looked at him. "I have wonder if that was part of some plan. If Helena and Nikolas wanted the world to think he was you. I'd say it doesn't matter because they're both dead, but they're Cassadines. For them—" Elizabeth sighed. "Death is usually just the beginning."

He started to respond, then stopped when his phone rang. He glanced down to see Diane's number lighting up the notification. "Yeah?"

Elizabeth lifted her brows when he hung up after a minute. "Jason?"

"The marker tests are in," Jason told her, shoving his phone back in his pocket. "It's—we're twins."

Elizabeth exhaled slowly. "I knew that was going to happen, but at the same time—and Oscar? Is he your nephew? Is—is your brother Drew Cain?"

"Yeah. Yeah, Oscar and Jake's test came back with markers that match ours." Jason rubbed the back of his neck. "Diane said she'd already called Oscar's stepmom, and Alexis was calling…Drew."

"It's nice to have a name for him," Elizabeth admitted. "I just wish we had the fingerprints or advanced testing back. I want him to know and accept it, too."

She started to open the door, but Jason stopped her, and she turned back to him. "What's wrong?"

"Just—thank you. For believing me."

"I'm just glad you're home. Come on in, we'll tell the boys."


End file.
